Ramifications
by Jade Evangeline
Summary: Darien takes Serena into his home after she is attacked. What happens when love quickly begins to blossom between the two housemates? Final Chapter!
1. Prologue

Ramifications

Prologue

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon

Summary: Darien takes Serena into his home after she is attacked. What happens when love quickly begins to blossom between the two housemates?

Author's Note: Please read and tell me what you think.

I

I

Sullenly, Serena stared at herself in the mirror admiring the change in her appearance. It was two months until her eighteenth birthday and she had a grand total of two weeks until she finally graduated from high school. Her mother, as a pre-graduation present, gave her enough money to go to the newest spa that opened up across town yesterday. Aware that she would be going to college in less than three months, she allowed the beauty consultant at the spa, a pretty middle aged woman named Mary, free roam on her hair. She had worn her distinctive hairstyle since she was a kid, and had firmly decided that it was time to let her meatballs go. She hadn't imagined that the psychotic woman would cut off half of her hair.

She sighed in the mirror, tugging at the back length, blonde, layered waves that tickled her ivory skin as they brushed against her flesh. Sure she looked older, more mature and maybe a little sexy even, but that woman cut her god damn hair! Quickly, she glanced at the clock realizing that she would be late for school if she didn't hurry and get dressed. She grabbed her uniform, a short red and black pleated skirt and white button up blouse before throwing them on, grabbing her back pack and running out of the door.

"Oh my god!" said Raye, continuously running her fingers through Serena's newly trimmed locks. "It looks so good."

All the girls were rallying around her during lunch as she discussed her disastrous appointment with Mary at the spa. "No it doesn't," she cried. "I said get rid of the hairstyle, not cut off all my freaking hair."

"No really," began Amy, looking up from her history book and studying Serena. "You look amazing. It's just in time for college Serena. You can't have had that hairstyle forever."

"Yea," agreed Mina, poking at her own shoulder length hair that she had cut upon entering twelfth grade. "Change is good."

Lita giggled. "You know who's going to have a field day over this?" she asked, pausing. "Darien. He's totally going to freak out."

"Why?" asked Serena.

She and Darien's relationship had been the same since she met him that fateful when she threw her test paper onto his head. They were constantly fighting, constantly bickering, and her hatred for him had grown over the past four years. He was 22 years old, a senior in university and he still made time throughout his day to pick on her. Needless to say, Serena hated him.

"What's he going to call you now?" asked Mina, chuckling. "Meatball head is obviously out of the question."

Serena snorted. "He's such a jerk, I'm sure he'll figure something out." Startled, Serena jumped as the bell ring. "Come on, Mina, we've got cheerleading practice.

"I'm so tired," said Mina, collapsing onto the dewy grass after completing their cheerleading routine for the fourth time. "Sarah is a Nazi! We got it already."

Serena laughed at her friend's response. Mina, sitting up abruptly, stared at a large figure behind the gate. "Serena, look, it's that same guy whose been coming up to the school for the last two weeks!"

Stealthily, Serena glanced at the tall man before turning her attention back to Mina. "Maybe he's just homeless or something," she replied, taking down her hair and running her fingers through it. Little did Mina know that Serena had seen the same dark haired, greasy looking man sitting at the bus stop a couple of blocks from the Crown Arcade.

"Maybe," she said. "He's just so creepy looking."

"Yea," Serena said absentmindedly. "He is."

Serena quickened her pace as she left the bus stop and headed toward the Crown Arcade for a chocolate milkshake after school that day. Her friends all had various things they needed to do and were unable to join her. Her heart began beating faster than usual as she broke into a fast pace, her eyes darting to the man that was walking slowly behind her. It was him again, the man in the brown, dingy trench coat, his sallow skin and beady eyes glistening as he began to sweat under the summer sun. Sighing with relief, she stepped into the arcade, the man following her inside and sitting in a booth in the back.

"Hi Andrew," she said, breathing hard and wiping the perspiration from her brow.

"Hi Serena," he said, staring at her oddly before smiling. "Nice hair."

"Thanks. Can I have a large chocolate shake and some fries?" she asked politely, placing her money on the table.

"You really can pack it in can't you meatball head?" said Darien, swerving around in his stool to face her. The sides of his mouth twitched as he looked at her oddly. Darien had thought Serena pretty before, even with her stupid hairstyle but today…she was breathtaking. Her short red skirt was resting against her upper thighs, and he was very aware of how lean and long her legs were. Her cheeks were rosy from the warm summer day and her eyes were shining with fire as she glared at him. And her hair, usually pinned up in her weird, signature smile was shorter, and was hanging down her back in lose waves. She looked…beautiful.

"What happened to your hair?" he asked distastefully. Regardless of what he thought about her new appearance, he was going to let her know how pretty she looked.

Serena rolled her eyes but chose to ignore Darien's comment. Everyone else liked her new hairstyle and if he didn't then he could just shut up. "Go away Darien," she said, fanning herself. "It's too hot and I'm too hungry to play verbal Kung-fu with you today."

Darien chuckled. "Is that right? Can't find time between shoving food in your mouth and hanging out the mall with your airhead friends to come up with a good comeback?"

"Very funny. Speaking of airheads, no fawning brunette on your arm today? I would be sure that your newest sexual conquest would be here clinging to you like she always does. What's her name again? Cokie? Cookie?"

"Keiko," he replied grimly, sipping his cappuccino.

"Trouble in paradise already? What, she not putting out enough for you?"

Andrew laughed at her response; Darien glared.

"Leave it to a child to assume Keiko's and my relationship is only based on sex."

Serena grinned. "Considering the fact that you have nothing else to offer to the relationship, I'm assuming the only reason that's she's with you is that you're well endowed and good in the sack, which is nothing to be ashamed of. However since you are dull as dirt, stuck up and a pain to be around for more than five minutes, it's best you work with what you've got," she said, patting his crotch and smiling triumphantly.

Darien smirked. "Any chance to feel me up you take, don't you Serena."

"You wish, I wouldn't touch you down there, if you were the last person on earth and it was up to us to repopulate the earth," said Serena, standing up and saluting. "We'd just have to say good bye to the human race. See ya, Andrew."

Waiving gingerly, Andrew watched as she took a seat at a booth near the front. "I think she won this time," he said.

"Won what?"

"Your verbal Kung-fu, as she calls it."

"Sure, she did."

"So what's up with you and Keiko, I haven't seen her around?"

"She's back at my apartment. She must be tired after last night," said Darien, smiling smugly as Andrew shook his head. "Thanks for the coffee. See you later."

Slowly Darien rose from the seat, watching out of the corner of his eye as Serena pulled out a history book. "Don't study too hard, mush for brains," he said, winking at her, "you might give yourself a coronary."

Serena grimaced. Stupid Darien, always had to have the last word.

Out of the corner of his eyes the older man watched the blonde goddess sip jovially on her drink, her lush pink lips wrapping around the straw and sucking vigorously. What he wouldn't give to have those young, inexperienced lips wrapped around him. Getting up from his chair and rushing out of the door. He realized that he would be waiting to touch her for much longer.


	2. Chapter 1

Ramifications

Chapter One

A/N: Thanks **_srsmoon_** for letting me know about me not accepting anonymous reviews, I didn't know that! I changed it! Please review!

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I don't own SM!

_One week until graduation_

Serena groaned as she sat down on a couch in Raye's bedroom. "I feel so overwhelmed!" she cried, pulling the elastic band that held her hair in a ponytail and flicking it at Raye. "I have so much to do before graduation!"

"We all do," complained Lita, flipping through a manga before tossing it to the ground and leaning back in her chair.

"Let's see," began Amy, taking out a white piece of paper and pen. "We still have cap and gown fittings, senior photos to take and we have to figure out something to do on senior ditch day." At her words Mina, Serena and Raye spit out their sodas. "Gross!"

"Wait, can it be, Amy Anderson willing to skip school?" asked Lita, her eyes wide with surprise.

Amy blushed. "Well, we are graduating and I think it's about time we let our hair down, so to speak, and have some fun."

"I heartily agree," cried Serena, sipping a Coke. "What do you guys want to do?"

"I don't know," said Raye contemplatively. "How about the beach?"

"Sounds like fun, I can bring the food," said Lita.

"Yea and we could have a bonfire that night," said Serena, looking at her watch.

"We keeping you from somewhere?" asked Lita.

"Yea, actually," said Serena, standing. "I promised my folks I'd pick up some burgers for dinner from the arcade. I don't want to be home too late."

"Since when is punctuality your strong point?" asked Raye.

"Since my parents promised they'd get me a car for my eighteenth birthday if I continued to be responsible and get good grades," said Serena.

"Parents and incentives," said Mina, sighing.

Serena shrugged. "Whatever works right? Anyway, I want this car, so I'd better go." Quickly she collected her things, and with a wave to her friends, sprinted out of the door.

I

I

The whole bus ride to the Crown Arcade Serena had been crouching in the corner hoping that the man in the dingy brown trench coat wouldn't notice her. For the last week he seemed to be everywhere she was. At first she wrote it off as coincidence, but now she had firmly decided that something was out of the ordinary about that man. Whenever he was around her, it seemed as though he were staring holes into the back of her head. She shivered as she glanced behind her, the man's dark, small eyes meeting her own before she turned to face the window.

He had smiled at her.

Upon seeing the bus stop a few blocks from the arcade, she sighed with relief and as soon as the bus came to a stop, she practically ran for the door when she felt a stinging sensation in the back of her head.

"Sorry love," said the man in the coat who had rushed up behind her. She could see him tucking something into his coat pocket before smiling ruefully at her, his teeth disgustingly yellow. "Watch it, you don't want to hit your head and mess up that pretty little face of yours." The man reached out to touch her lips and she instinctively backed away from him and began to run for the arcade, the stranger walking slowly behind her. He waited until she was inside the building before pulling a lock of her hair from his pocket. He brought the strands of her hair to his nose and sniffed it gingerly. "Perfect."

She breathed heavily as she entered the arcade before spotting Darien and Andrew chatting it up in their favorite spot. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the man in the brown coat enter and sit at a table in the back of the arcade. Quickly she rushed to Darien's side.

"Hi Serena, your mom called in an order, it should be ready in ten minutes," said Andrew watching as Serena nervously sat down next to Darien.

"Hey, are you just twitchy because you're weird or are the drugs your on just making you act stupid?" asked Darien, the grin fading from his lips as he noticed the scared expression on his face. "Serena are you okay?"

"Pretend to by my friend," she said. "Please Darien." Instinctively, she moved closer to him so that her bare knees were touching his legs.

"Serena what's wrong?" asked Andrew.

"That guy back there's been following me," she said quietly. Darien turned to look for the man before Serena grabbed him by the shoulder. "Don't look at him!"

"How am I supposed to know who you're talking about if I can't see what he looks like?" Casually Darien glanced behind him to see the man tucking something into his pocket before settling his eyes onto Serena's butt and licking his lips in appreciation. Darien's fists clenched.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" he asked protectively.

"N-no," she said. "Maybe I'm just imagining it."

"No, you're not," said Andrew.

"Just sit close to me," she said shakily.

Serena gasped when she felt Darien's hands encircle her waist before pulling her into his lap. Andrew, though, didn't seem surprised by the gesture. Darien couldn't help but inhale the gentle scent of her hair. She smelled like springtime and he felt himself drowning in the aroma. Almost instinctively, he rested his chin on her shoulders and began stroking her arms in an attempt to keep her from shaking, although the feeling of his fingertips caressing her flesh sent another wave of pleasure through her body.

Andrew grinned at them. "I'm going to go tell him to get lost," he said coming from behind the counter and walking toward the man before Serena could stop him.

"You okay?" asked Darien gently.

"Yea," she said, her voice quiet. She closed her eyes, not believing how safe she felt in Darien's arms and how good it felt to be held by him. No matter how strange and often confusing their relationship was or how mean and distant he could be, she knew that he would protect her from harm. She tilted her head back so that it rested on his shoulder, her eyes closing in response to the way his body felt wrapped around her.

"If he does anything to you, will you tell me?" he asked.

"Yes," she said honestly, watching as Andrew walked back behind the counter with a concerned look on his face.

"What?" asked Serena worriedly.

"He's gone… but Serena, he knows your name."

"What!" Darien exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of several people in the arcade.

"How is that possible?" she asked panicking. Darien began to stroke her arms soothingly, which immediately began to calm her down.

"I asked him what he was doing here and he said he just wanted to spend some time with his good friend Serena," said Andrew sternly. "Have you ever talked to him before?"

"No, never…well…he said something to me on the bus today-"

"What?" asked Darien.

"He told me to be careful because I didn't want to mess up my pretty face," said Serena. "But that's it."

"Listen, Serena, I'm calling your parents," said Andrew, as Serena nodded. At this point she actually wanted to see them.

The blonde put her head in her hands before she felt Darien's fingers brush against her face. "I won't let anything happen to you Serena, I promise."

She smiled at him and waited silently and contentedly on his lap until her parents arrived at the scene.


	3. Chapter 2

Ramifications

Chapter 2

A/N: Just so you know, this chapter has a bit of violence and swearing. Also, thanks for all the reviews, they keep me posting quickly.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Rating: M

_Three days after graduation_

Serena strolled leisurely to the bus stop, the warm evening breeze flowing through her hair as she caught sight of the bench right in front of the stop. It had been three days since graduation and she was on cloud nine. Senior ditch day had gone off without a hitch, Amy graduated as class valedictorian, she got a standing ovation at graduation from her friends and family and most importantly she hadn't seen that creepy guy who had been following her since Andrew confronted him at the arcade.

Unfortunately, something was putting a damper on her day. Her dad's mother had a stroke two days ago and needed someone take care of her. Her grandfather couldn't do it himself, because he was confined to a wheelchair so quite naturally, her mother and father volunteered to help. The bad part was that they lived about three hours outside of the Juuban district, which meant that her parents wouldn't be able to commute. Her mom, dad and Sammy would all be staying with her grandparents until they got better. Regrettably, Serena had college placement examines in the beginning of July, summer orientation, campus and housing tours to undergo and loads more college related events to attend before school started at the end of August. So the day after graduation, her family left (after several hours of her mother crying and her dad giving her a lecture on safety and safe sex) to stay with her dad's mother. She hoped that her parents would be back by her birthday at the end of July.

Sullenly, she waited for the bus and boarded it happily when it arrived. She liked the freedom of being home alone, but after a while, she had gotten lonely. Amy was conducting a math camp at a local school, Lita was off on some hiking adventure with her most recent crush, and Raye and Ami had gone off to visit various family members for the week and wouldn't be back for another few days.

She sat quietly on the big, clumsy vehicle as it sped down the streets of Japan as she thought about what she could do tonight. Her stomach grumbled and she realized that her first stop would be to the arcade for a burger, fries and maybe even a chocolate sundae. It was almost dark by the time she got off the bus and she began walking hurriedly towards the arcade, hating to be out alone when the sun was down.

She had just began debating whether or not she wanted a banana split or a sundae when a grimy hand latched onto her wrist and pulled her into an alley two blocks away from the arcade.

"Hello, doll," said the man as he slammed Serena against the wall and buried his face in her neck. She pushed against him and momentarily freed herself before she felt his long, hot fingers grab her by the neck and slam her onto the dirty cement floor. "You can't get away now darling," he said, his voice thick with a British accent. "I've been waiting so long for this."

Pulling a knife from his pocket he straddled her as she tried to push him off, one of his filthy hands covering her mouth. Tears leaked from her eyes as the weight from his body and stench from his fingers kept her from being able to breathe. Frantically she searched for something, anything on the ground that could help her get away from him as several whimpers escaped her throat.

She grabbed an empty bottle and thrust into his face, momentarily knocking him off of her before he quickly pinned her down again. "Shouldn't have done that," he said, pulling back his arm and striking her face so hard that for a moment, her vision went blurry. She could feel warm blood trickle from the side of her face onto her ear before he grabbed her arms and forced them under body. One hand still covering her mouth, he pushed the blade up and brought the silver to her face so that she could see herself in its reflection.

She didn't know whether or not he was going to stab her or just threaten her with it, until she realized that he began cutting away at the buttons that kept her shirt sealed. Her whimpers became louder as she realized what was going to happen next and again he struck her, busting her bottom lip in the process. Tears streamed steadily from her eyes as he ripped the white shirt from her body and caressed the lace of her white bra.

He bent down to kiss her and she almost vomited from the smell of alcohol that invaded her nostrils and turned her face to the side away from him as she struggled to get her arms free. She moved her fingers, bloody from being forced underneath her body and grabbed a huge rock that sat idly on the gravel. With all her might she thrust the rock into his face, causing the man to grip his eye and cry out in pain before falling to the side as she struggled to pick her body up from the ground.

She swayed as she stood before running towards the empty street and screaming for help, her lips aching painfully. She felt his fingers latch onto her leg and she lost her balance and fell into a trashcan hitting her head on the brick wall. Again the world began to spin but she continued to fight back. With all her remaining strength, Serena kicked hard and felt her foot connect with the mans face before she heard the cracking sound of bone and a loud scream from her attacker.

Again she stood up and grabbed at the middle of her shirt to cover the naked skin beneath the now dirty blouse she was wearing. She raced quickly to the nearest place where she knew someone would help her. The pain was blinding and she was scared out of her mind but she ran and ran until she felt her bloody hands push at the glass doors of the Crown Arcade.

Darien, who had been sitting with Keiko and Andrew, laughing at an odd joke turned in his chair and stood up when a scream from a customer alerted them of danger. His heart broke when he saw her.

"Darien!" she cried running to him. Immediately he caught her in his arms just as her legs gave way and she sobbed uncontrollably into his black cotton jacket.

"Oh my god!" cried the girl named Keiko as Darien hugged Serena tightly.

From the looks of her condition, the blood on her face, the tears in her eyes, her ripped clothing, he was aware of what had happened to her. He just prayed to God that it hadn't gotten that far.

Her grip on him was fierce as she cried and nothing in the world could make her let go of Darien. He quickly lifted her into his arms and carried her into the employee break room that Andrew had immediately unlocked as soon as Serena had run in. Leaving Keiko alone in the dining room of the arcade, Darien quickly closed the door behind him, locking himself, Andrew inside.

I

I

Quickly Andrew rushed to the sink before arriving with several damp towels and a bag full of ice before handing it to Darien. "Call the police," he muttered to Andrew as he lifted the towel to Serena's face. She seemed to be bleeding everywhere and Darien had no idea where to start.

Immediately Andrew rushed toward the phone and began talking to the emergency operator in a hushed voice. Darien quickly applied the towels to her lip and the other to the huge, bloody bruise forming over her left eye. He was pretty sure she had a concussion.

"The police and the ambulance are on their way," said Andrew, quickly rushing to Serena and assisting Darien in wiping the blood from her skin.

"He tried to rape me," she whispered, tears falling on her eyes onto Darien's skin. As calm as he tried to be, Darien seethed with anger.

"Who?" asked Andrew.

"That man…the man from the arcade," she sputtered.

Darien noticed that she was clenching her shirt and he could see her bloodstained bra beneath her ripped clothing. He took off the black jacket he was wearing and wrapped it around her before zipping it up. She looked up at him thankfully.

"Serena," he said gently, "tell us what happened."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked up at Darien's concerned face. "I was walking here from the bus stop and he pulled me into an alley and pushed me against the wall."

Unable to look at her, Darien closed his eyes and lowered his head as she shakily continued. "I tried to push him back but he grabbed me and threw me on the ground," said Serena. By now, she was speaking frantically, her hands shaking as she remembered what he had done to her. Darien sat next to her on the couch and held her as she spoke. "He put my hands under my body and sat on me so I couldn't move. He pulled out at knife and he….he started to cut off my shirt," she said, her body shaking so hard that Darien feared she might pass out. "He hit me in the face twice and for a minute I couldn't see. Then he moved his hand from my mouth and tried to kiss me."

Darien could barely hold back his rage. How dare he try and hurt her! How dare he try and still her innocence. "I turned away and grabbed a rock and I hit him," she continued, her speech starting to slur. Darien was sure it was because she had a concussion. Immediately he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Please, Darien, don't leave me!" she cried, reaching for him.

He rushed back to her and held her bloody hand gently. "Where did this happen?"

"By the nearest bus stop, down the street," she said confused, her body swaying. "Andrew, take care of her until I get back," he barked angrily. His friend nodded in understanding.

"Darien where are you going?" she said dizzily.

"I'll be back Serena," he said through clenched teeth before racing out of the doors.

Frantically he ran toward the bus station, stopping as he heard a loud moan coming from a dark alley a few steps away from the bus stop. Quickly he rushed into the passage to find the same man that Andrew had confronted in the arcade more than a week ago. This time, his face was a bloody mess and he looked like his nose was broken. He reminded himself to be sure to let Serena know that.

"Thank god," said the man, "I need some help."

Darien approached the man slowly. "Fuck you," he said, grabbing the man by his coat before pounding his fist into his face. "Is this how you held her down?"

The man look frightened when he realized this had been one of Serena's friends from the arcade. "I didn't mean to—"

"You didn't mean to what?" asked Darien, enraged. "To beat her, to scare her, to try and rape her!"

The man smiled perversely. "It's not rape if you like it."

At his words Darien almost lost control. Standing above the man whose face was now completely covered with blood, Darien straightened his leg before kicking in his knee, successfully breaking the bone as he screamed in agony. "I swear if you ever fucking touch her again, I'll kill you myself," cried Darien, hovering over the man until he heard the distant sound of police sirens approaching his direction.

I

I

"The man has been detained," said a female police officer, smiling at Serena encouragingly as they loaded her into an ambulance. The EMT had confirmed that Serena had a concussion and she would need medical attention. Darien had arrived back at the arcade just in time to volunteer to ride with her in the ambulance.

"You're friend gave him quite the beating," she said, looking pointedly at Darien who blushed under Serena's broad smile. "He's got a broken leg and nose."

"The nose was all Serena," said Darien.

"Really," she said triumphantly. Knowing she caused him some bodily harm did make her feel a little better. When Darien left her with Andrew she had been hurt, but now she was elated to know that Darien had went to defend her honor.

"Yea," responded the cop. "We'll stay here and question the witnesses, and you'll be on your way to the hospital. You're a tough girl, Serena." The female officer winked at her before walking away. Darien grabbed Serena's hand and held it gently.

"You okay?"

"I could be worse," she said, looking down at her hands and trying to block the images from her mind of what could have happened. She was trying so hard not to cry.

Darien could see that she was trying to be brave, but to him, she was already the most courageous woman he had ever met. "It's okay," he said.

"You always call me a meatball headed cry baby," she whispered, hurt.

Darien grimaced. He had never meant those things and hadn't imagined that what he said could possibly hurt her.

"Well according to you I have no social skills," he said as she looked up at him. "And I think you may be right. I'm sorry I said those things to you."

"Me too," she said. She looked out toward the street just as a dark-haired, curvaceous woman approached the car.

Darien sighed. "Keiko, what are you still doing here?"

"I was worried," she said, eyeing Serena. "You stormed out of there and ran down the street. I've been waiting for you to say something to me." She sounded annoyed.

Darien pinched the bridge of his nose. "Go home, Keiko, I'll call you later."

"Fine," she said, storming off.

"She's a real catch," said Serena sarcastically. "Sorry, your relationship is none of my business.

"No, you're right, she's a piece or work," he said grimly, smiling at Serena as the ambulance doors closed and they sped toward Juuban County Hospital.


	4. Chapter 3

Ramifications

Chapter 3

A/N: No more violence! Just fluff for the next few chapters! Please review! And thanks for all the incredible feedback!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon

Rating: M

I

I

Serena flinched as the final needle was pushed into the skin above her eyebrow, another warm drop of blood wetting her flesh before it was wiped away by the doctor.

"There, all done," he said, placing two small bandages over Serena's newly stitched wound. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Serena glared at him. Darien, sitting beside her and holding her hand tightly couldn't help but smile at Serena. She had been so brave when the doctors cleansed her numerous wounds and stitched the once gaping lesion that covered her upper eyebrow.

"So, Miss Tsukino, your records tell me that you'll be eighteen next month and this jurisdiction will allow you to make your own decisions as an adult. Is there anyone you would like us to contact?"

Serena grimaced. Of course, her parents should be aware of what their daughter had just endured. But her grandmother was practically dying and she didn't want to put anymore stress on her parents. If she told them the truth about what had happened to her, they would rush back and leave her grandparents to fend for themselves. What would she do if something terrible happened to her grandparents while her mom and dad were away? She cringed at the thought.

"N-no," she said after minutes of contemplating.

The doctor frowned. "I know being assaulted isn't something most people like to admit, but Miss Tsukino, your parents should know what happened to you tonight."

Darien tugged at her hand. "He's right Serena, you should tell them."

She sighed. "Fine, where's the phone?"

I

I

Serena had been on the phone with her parents for over half an hour. Darien was patiently waiting in the corner as Serena went through the painful story of tonight's events. His heart broke when she described what that man had done to her.

"I'm okay now, mom. I'm at the hospital."

"_The hospital!_ _My poor baby! You're father and I are catching a flight home this instant!"_

"What about nana and grandpa? You can't just leave them there! Mama, I'll be fine."

"_Oh my brave little baby!_ _Mommy's coming honey!"_

"Mother, please, if something happened to nana and grandpa because of me I'd feel terrible!"

"_Serena we feel horrible about leaving them but you were…attacked! You should not be staying alone at home right now!"_

"I do have friends, mom, they'd be more than willing to let me stay with them."

"_Yes, friends whose parents are at work most of the time. What if that monster gets out of jail and comes after you! What are Raye or Mina or any of your other friends going to do? How are they going to protect you?"_

She didn't know what to say to convince her mother that she would be alright. Sure, she was scared that he would find her again, she was terrified. But she also knew how much her grandparents meant to her mom and dad and she didn't want them flying back because of her.

Darien sat in the corner listening to her dilemma. He didn't want her staying with her girl friends either. Her mother was right, they couldn't protect her from that jerk if he ever got out of jail and came after her. Hoping that the decision he was about to make was a good one, he walked toward Serena and took the cell phone from her hand.

"Hello, Mrs. Tsukino?" he asked politely.

"_Yes? Who is this?"_

"My name is Darien. I'm at the hospital with your daughter-"

"_Oh," she said thankfully, "you're the young man that's been with my daughter at the hospital. Darien, thank you so much. My husband and I don't know how to thank you."_

Darien blushed. "It's alright," he said. "It was no problem; I'm just as concerned about Serena as you are. I overheard your dilemma and I wanted you to know that Serena's welcome to stay with me until you return."

Irene Tsukino was silent on the other end of the phone. In the background Darien could hear Serena's mother tell her father about what he had just offered. Irene had met Darien several times before. He had volunteered at the local school while her niece, Rini was staying with them. Rini had taken a liking to Darien and he often took care of her when Irene could not. She knew how responsible, independent and intelligent Darien was, but she also knew that Darien was 5 years older than Serena and in college.

"_Darien, that's a wonderful offer, but I'm not sure if her father and I are comfortable with that."_

"Mrs. Tsukino I completely understand your concerns, but I promise I only want the best for Serena. I want her to be safe from that lunatic and I know, no matter how much her friends adore her, they might not be well equipped to care for her if something happens. I give you my word that I will respect and protect your daughter if you put her in my care," he said, smiling at the shocked look on Serena's face. She couldn't possibly be living with Darien Chiba, the most infuriatingly sexy, annoyingly beautiful man she had ever seen.

_Irene hesitated. "Let me have you talk to her father."_

Darien's stomach lurched. Having dated mainly college women his whole life, he had little experience talking to protective fathers.

"_Darien?" came the stern voice that belonged to Ken Tsukino._

"Yes, sir."

"_If Mrs. Tsukino and I allow Serena to stay with you in our absence do you promise to protect AND respect our daughter?"_

"Yes sir."

"_And if we found out that our daughter has been corrupted by you, are you aware that I personally will take legal and physical action against you?"_

Darien gulped. "Yes sir."

"_Are you aware that Serena, regardless of her age, is still my baby girl and that I will take great lengths to protect her from anyone who harms her in any way?"_

"Yes, Mr. Tsukino."  
"_Well, then, since we have come to this understanding I will permit my daughter to stay with you until our return, which should not be more than two weeks from now." Ken paused. "And Darien?"_

"Yes sir?"

"_I want to thank you for taking care of my little girl tonight. If you hadn't been there…I would hate to think that Serena would have had to endure tonight alone."_

Darien smiled. "It was no problem."

"_Thank you, son._ _Oh and by the way, Irene and I would like to compensate you for taking care of Serena."_

"That's really not necessary."

"_Trust me it is. Have you seen how much that girl can eat?"_

Darien laughed as Serena glared at him from the corner. She had heard what her father just said.

"I have, actually," Darien responded.

"_Just have Serena email us your address and we'll send you a check. Take care of my daughter."_

"I will sir, you have my word."

"_Thank you, Darien. We'll see you soon." _

Darien said his goodbyes before handing the phone back to Serena. After what felt like hours of her father laying some ground rules, she finally ended their phone conversation.

"Darien?" she asked timidly. "You don't have to let me stay with you. I'll be okay."

He walked toward her, grabbing his coat from the hospital bed and wrapping it around her before leading her towards the door. "I know you will, but I want you to stay with me. More than anything, I just want you to be safe."

Smiling to herself, she headed out of the hospital doors to the cab that Darien had called for the two of them.

I

I

Serena sighed as she felt Darien's car come to a halt in the underground parking structure that was adjacent to his apartment building. It was past midnight and with everything that happened today, Serena was aching and tired. They hadn't left the hospital until eleven and afterwards Darien took Serena to her home to get enough clothes to last for the first few days while she recuperated.

"You alright?" asked Darien, opening her car door and carefully helping her stand.

"Yea, thanks," she said. He grabbed her overnight bag and together they silently made their way up to his apartment. Noisily Darien reached for his keys and opened the door to his apartment. As soon as Serena stepped in she was immediately surprised. His apartment was as immaculate as he was.

The living room was decorated with tan couches and chairs along with smooth, polished wooden tables. There were various plants in the corners of the room and elegant light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. In front of the couch was a huge flat screen TV, which sat in an equally impressive wooden entertainment center, complete with DVD player and stereo system. Signaling for her to follow, Darien led her past the living room, allowing her to glance at the granite countered kitchen just behind the living room. He grabbed the handle of the nearest door and pushed it open.

Darien walked inside the room and sat her suitcase on the ground; Serena followed him into what she assumed to be the guest bedroom. It was an elegant room with light, olive walls and a four poster queen bed with tan and green sheets, pillows and comforters. Two mahogany night stands adorned the bed, and on top of them sat a vase full of silk roses and an alarm clock. To the right of the bed was an armoire, and on the opposite side of the room was the glass door to the balcony that offered an amazing view of the city. There was a fancy cabinet that held a TV and a DVD player that had on each side of it polished plants. Across from the bed was a door that Serena assumed led to the bathroom.

"Well," said Darien as Serena finished admiring the room, "if you need anything, my bedroom is right down the hall. There's the bathroom." He pointed to the door. "You'll have your own so you won't have to worry about me barging in on you and everything. And if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. Just…knock first."

"Okay," she said. "Thanks Darien, for everything."

"It's no problem," he said, heading out of her bedroom. "Good night Serena."

"Night."

After a long shower in which Serena scrubbed her body to rid _his _scent away, she climbed into the plush, comfortable bed and fell into a deep sleep.

I

I

The sleeping blonde started when she heard a loud conversation being held outside her bedroom. Momentarily forgetting where she was, she wondered why her mother was being so loud. Groggily she sat up, the many blankets forming a cocoon around her before she remembered yesterday's events. Slowly she walked towards the door and peaked outside to see what was going on.

"She's here!" cried a dark haired, long legged woman that Serena instantly realized as Keiko, Darien's girlfriend. "I can't believe she's staying in your apartment Darien."

"It's only until her parents come home," he said, his voice relaxed.

"Oh really? Well that's fantastic. When I asked to stay with you, you said no!" she cried, her hands falling onto her hips.

"That's different," he said, slathering his toast with butter before looking up at her. "We're in a relationship. Serena and I are just friends."

"So?"

"So, I didn't want to rush into anything with you. It's too soon," he said, opening the refrigerator door and pulling out a carton of orange juice.

"Why are you so afraid to make a commitment to me?" she asked, stamping her foot on the ground.

Darien sighed. "We've only been together for sixth months Keiko. Why are you rushing things?"

"Six months happens to be half a year and you told me that this is the longest relationship you've ever had. Or did you just say that to get me to sleep with you?"

"You were the one anxious to have sex, not me," he said, immediately regretting his words at the appalled look on her face.

"So I'm a whore, now! Is that what you're saying?"

"I didn't say that!" cried Darien. Serena couldn't help but chuckle at the expression on his face. He looked anxious, angry and confused.

"But you implied it," Keiko said, walking to the couch and grabbing her coat.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. You're obviously too busy entertaining your newest house guest to spend anytime with me, your ex-girlfriend!"

Darien flinched as she slammed the door behind her. Serena felt horrible; it was her fault that Darien had lost his girlfriend. She momentarily wondered if she should feign sleep and sneak out with her things later, so that Darien wouldn't get into any trouble on her account.

"Serena, you can come out now," said Darien staring at her from the kitchen.

Embarrassed, Serena walked into the bright living room. Darien began to slather jelly onto his toast.

"Sorry," she mumbled, nervously playing with the hem of the pink shirt she was wearing. He looked up to face her and smiled. She looked awfully cute in her pink pajamas.

"Don't worry about it. Keiko can wake the dead," he said.

"No I meant…sorry that she broke up with you," said Serena, clutching her forehead as it began to throb. "This is completely my fault. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault Serena," he said adamantly, rushing towards her with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yea," she said, swaying.

Darien grabbed her and gently led her toward the couch. "Sit down; I'll get you some water."

She watched as he rushed into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge before opening it and giving to her. The cool contents made her feel much better. "I should leave," she said, after a moment's pause.

"What? Why? You can't," he sputtered. "You shouldn't."

"Darien, it's my fault you're girlfriend-less. God, I should have went home yesterday. It's not your fault I was attacked and you shouldn't have to take care of me."

"You're acting like you staying here is a punishment for me."

"I unconsciously ruined your life just twelve hours after I got here."

Darien chuckled. "No you didn't' Serena. Maybe it was for the best."

She looked at him strangely. "You said it yourself, it's not like I lost a really great girlfriend," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, now, don't blame it on me, I didn't say that."

"I know. I know," he said. "Drink the water."

"I really think I should go."

"If that's what you want," he said, leaning back at the couch and staring at her. Serena was caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze. "But I'd like if you stayed."

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Darien couldn't help but think how adorable she was, sitting on his couch, her hair askew from sleep and her eyes bright. "Really."

"I still feel awful though."

"Physically?" he asked, leaning toward her.

"No, about what just happened."

"Don't. Keiko was just something to do. Don't worry about." At his comment Serena blushed a deep red. She turned her gaze to the water bottle just as Darien realized what he said.

"That's not what I meant," he said with a nervous laugh. "I just meant…she was good at occupying my time."

Extremely dirty thoughts were now rushing through Serena's head as she tried to block them out. "That keeps coming out wrong," Darien said after a pause.

"It's okay, I know what you mean," she choked out, her eyes locked on the carpet. Sure she had made inappropriate jokes to Darien about sex, but she hadn't actually thought he was doing it. But now upon further thinking, Darien was 22 and he was very attractive and…she had heard Keiko saying it, so why was it freaking her out now?  
"You okay?" he asked gently, his hand falling onto her bare shoulder. He couldn't stop thinking about how amazingly soft her skin was.

"Yea…just checked out for a minute," she said, regaining her composure.

"Okay," he said. "So it's settled then. You're staying?"

She looked to him and smiled. "Yea, I'm staying."


	5. Chapter 4

Ramifications

Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I'm in college and finals kicked my ass this week. Thanks to all my faithful readers. By the way, **loveRHINO** asked me why Serena didn't transform into Sailormoon when she was attacked. I should have clarified that this story is AU and there are no senshi, no negaverse and no tuxedo kamen. Luna and Artemis are around but they don't talk, just poop and eat like normal cats. Hope that helps.

Disclaimer: Sailormoon…not mine!

Rating: M

I

I

Serena trembled in her sleep. In her dreams she could see his face, his dark eyes full of lust and passion for her as she tried to escape his grip. His hands encircled her waist before slamming her down to the hard, concrete floor. His movements were rapid and rough as he pinned her to the ground. With a swift move, her attacker covered her mouth with his and she tasted the putrid flavor of rotten teeth and tobacco. She cried out, her arms thrashing against the sheets. She felt someone caress her face gently and as she escaped from her nightmare, she found Darien's concerned eyes watching her.

Immediately she sat up and hugged him. Serena wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the black crewneck t-shirt he was wearing.

"Shh, its okay, it's over now," he said soothingly, stroking her back. "It was just a dream."

She held him tightly until finally letting him go and wiping the dried tear stains from her face. Serena smiled sadly at him.

"You hungry?" he asked. She had been asleep ever since their early morning conversation; the pain medicine the doctor had given her exhausted the young blonde. Darien had been checking in on her every half hour or so to make sure she was still alive. He was walking into the living room when he heard her scream and immediately ran into her room to find her in the throes of a violent nightmare.

"Yea," she said, sniffling. Aching everywhere, she climbed out of bed slowly and walked into Darien's living room. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Four or five hours," he said.

"Oh."

"Do you like pizza?" he asked, picking up the phone.

Serena's eyebrows rose. "Did you forget who you're talking to? Of course I like pizza!"

He laughed. "Okay. What do you want on it then?"

"Pepperoni, mushrooms and olives, please."

Serena waited quietly as he spoke to the pizza delivery man on the other line before coming and sitting next to her on the couch. "Aren't you eating?"

"Yea, I like those toppings too."

They sat in silence, staring at the apartment walls as they waited for their food to come. She never imagined in a million years that she would be sitting in Darien's living room, battered, bruised, and in her pajamas no less. She chuckled to herself.

"What's so funny?" he asked, grinning at her.

"Everything. This," she said looking at him. "I never thought you and I could be in five feet of each other without fighting."

He laughed. "Yea, I guess not."

"Mind if I ask you a question?" she asked, her eyes bright.

"No," he said, nervously.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

He was taken aback by her question and guilt immediately settled in is gut. "I don't hate you, Serena," he said quietly.

"No, now you just feel sorry for me."

"No, I don't feel sorry for you," he said adamantly.

"Come on Darien, the only reason that I'm here is because you pity me. If that ass hole didn't attack me then you and I would definitely not be slumber party buddies," she said, her face reddening. She figured Darien thought she was stupid and she didn't know how he really felt about her. But she knew…she knew he hated her.

He sighed as he rubbed his face. "Okay, honestly, if you weren't attacked you _wouldn't _be here, that's true. But first of all, I don't in any way pity you. Serena you fought him off and ran into the Crown Arcade. How many people can do that? I'm astonished and amazed by you, but I don't pity you." He paused. "Second, I don't hate you. I don't understand you, but I don't hate you."

"Why don't you understand me?" she asked, ignoring the compliment he gave her.

"I know you're not a kid anymore, and that you don't get thirties on tests, but you have like a B average and I know you can do a lot better. Surprisingly, I hear you when you talk to your friends, you're not stupid. You have every chance to be the best at anything that you do, but you don't."

Serena was surprised by his answer. He's been mean to her every day of her life because she was lazy? "So, wait a minute, you've tormented me forever because I don't apply myself?"

"No," he replied. "I torment you because it's fun."

Her mouth dropped. "I'm sure it's fun for you," she replied grimly.

"Come on Serena, you know you like it too."

"Right," she said. "So I guess us arguing all the time is some weird foreplay ritual that I don't understand."

Darien grinned inwardly at her choice of words. _Foreplay._ "Do you even know what foreplay means?" he asked.

She smiled. Now Darien was back to his old self. "Yes, I know what foreplay is."

"I would hate to guess who gave you a lesson on that."

She blushed. "I-I didn't say I've done that….but I know what it is. I'm not a man whore like you," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Nice to know that you're feeling better."

"So, for the record, you don't hate me then."

"No," he said. "I don't hate you. I like to think that you and I have a unique relationship."

"I guess I can handle that," she said. The chime of the doorbell broke them from their conversation. Darien quickly hopped off the couch and answered the door. Serena peaked around to see a blonde guy in a red shirt and blue jeans.

"Thanks for calling Speedy Pizza, our business is your satisfaction," the man said robotically. "I am Kyle, your delivery specialist."

Darien waited patiently as he finished his spiel before handing him the money.

"Do you have parmesan cheese?" asked Serena as she walked up behind Darien. Kyle's eyes immediately brightened. He shuffled through a bag, spilling small packets of peppers and cheese on the ground as he scrambled to pick them up. Serena bent down to help him, collecting the condiments and keeping a few for herself.

"I'm Kyle," he said, smiling broadly. "You got a phone number?"

"I'm Serena and of course I have a phone number," she said, backing away from the door. The last thing Serena wanted was to get hit on by a guy. She was a bit weary of the opposite sex at the moment. Well, except for Darien… he was okay.

Noticing her discomfort, Darien intervened. "I'm Darien and she doesn't want to give you her number. Give me the pizza."

The young man scowled at Darien before handing him the pizza and stalking off. "Thanks," she said.

"Not a problem," he replied, carrying the pizza into the living room and placing it on the coffee table. "I'll get plates and stuff. Sit down."

Serena watched as he rummaged through various cabinets before producing silverware, plates and napkins. "Is Pepsi okay?"

"Yea, thanks," she said, staring at him as he poured them drinks. She quietly mused to herself about Darien. Now that she knew him a little bit better, she understood why Raye and other girls fell all over themselves when he came around. He was gorgeous and when he wanted to be, he was a pretty nice guy.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, noticing Serena staring at him.

She blushed. "No, nothing's wrong," she said turning away and staring at the pizza box.

"God, Serena, I know I'm sexy and everything, but I don't think of you that way," he said, smiling at her and setting their drinks down. She playfully punched him in the arm.

"What's on TV?"

"Probably nothing. Want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure," she said, opening the pizza box and putting two slices on both hers and Darien's plates.

"I just got Ju-on 2 on DVD."

Serena froze; she hated horror movies. Blood, guts and violence she could handle, but genuinely creepy horror movies freaked her out. Darien noticed her expression. "Oh, that's okay," he said. "You look too scared."

She scowled. "I'm not scared," she lied, looking at him defiantly. "Put it in."

"You sure?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow. "I'm sure Yu-Gi-Oh is on some channel right now, we could watch that instead."

"Put the damn movie in!" she said as Darien began to laugh at her response.

"I gave you a choice, if you get scared tonight it's not my fault."

Serena grinned wryly as Darien sat next to her. "How do you even know what Yu-Gi-Oh is? Aren't _you _a bit too old to know what the younger generation watches? What, Darien, do you have a secret addiction to Saturday morning cartoons?"

"I do happen to have a television and I am awake on Saturday mornings occasionally."

"Is that a confession that suave, debonair and ultra sophisticated Darien Chiba is into anime?" she asked, biting into her slice.

"No. It's a confession that I do channel surf. Is that scandalous enough for you?"

"Shut up and watch the movie."

The film was fairly tame in the beginning, however as the movie progressed, Serena found herself inching closer and closer to Darien as he munched on his pizza. He often smiled to himself at the cute, surprised sounds she made when a scary part came on. Several times, he wanted to burst into laughter when she almost choked on her pizza. On a particularly terrifying scene, Serena launched herself at him. Her arms had snaked around his waist and her face was in his rib cage. Even he had to admit that this particular scene was scary as hell.

"Is she coming out of the floor?" squealed Serena.

"Yea she is," he said as the dark haired woman came out of the ground and began walking convulsively toward her screaming, crouching victim. "Don't look Serena." The scene was almost too grotesque for him to handle.

"Why, what's happening?" she asked, peeking timidly from Darien's side at the television. She quickly grabbed his hand and used it to cover her eyes.

"Nothing," he said, his nose turning up as he watched the ghost attack one of the girls in the movie. "Just don't look." Darien could feel Serena's long eyelashes brush against his hand and he smiled as it tickled him.

Eventually after another hour of Serena jumping all over Darien, the movie ended. Somehow, her head ended up in his lap and Darien was absentmindedly stroking her hair. Embarrassed, she moved away from him as he quietly got up and turned off the DVD.

"See that wasn't so bad," he said.

"Sure," she replied. "That was horrible. Even you were scared."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were, just admit it."

"No, I was not scared," he repeated.

"Then why were you holding my hand?"

"For the same reason that your head was in my crotch," he replied.

Serena blushed profusely. "It was not in you crotch!"

"Do you even know what a crotch is?"

"Hell yes I do," she said, pointing to the inseam of his pants. "I'm not _that_ sexually deprived."

"How sexually deprived are you?" asked Darien curiously. True, he had never seen Serena with a guy, even though several men including his friends seemed to be interested in her.

"Deprived?" she asked chuckling. "I'm sexually starved. If sex was money, I'd be in debt." He laughed. "Foreplay," she said in a sing-song tone.

"What?" he asked, his head jerking toward her. _Was she offering?_

"Foreplay," she repeated. "Our verbal Kung-fu. We were doing it again."

"Oh," he said slowly, leaning against the couch thinking about how stupid he was. The girl was just attacked and he was having not so pure thoughts about her.

"Want to watch TV?" she asked.

"Sure." She handed him the remote.

Darien glanced at the clock on the DVD player before flipping on the television. It was almost 10:30 and he knew the only thing on right now was the evening news. He went through the channels before a familiar face on the screen stopped him. He realized that the face belonged to the man who had attacked Serena. He quickly turned the channel. Serena had realized who it was too, and she grabbed the remote from his hand and turned back. She feared that the report would say that he had broken out of jail and that he was coming after her. Darien looked at her wearily, hoping that nothing on TV would scare her further.

"…_currently in jail for the attempted rape and battery of a seventeen year old girl whose identity will remain undisclosed," _began the female anchorwoman. "_The attacker has been identified as Jim Kobe. Kobe, a registered sex offender, has a laundry list of offences against women including attempted rape, battery, assault and attempted murder. Two years ago, Kobe pled not guilty to three charges of sexual assault and eventually made an insanity plea. Police detectives are investigating the recent attempted rape. Kobe's bail has been set at 25,000 yen. Is your favorite jell-o flavor causing chronic constipation and diarrhea? Stay tuned for Healthwatch, coming up next-"_

Darien quickly turned off the television and faced Serena. He knew watching that was probably a very bad idea. "Serena?" he asked gently, taking her hand and stroking her fingers gently.

In the distance she heard him speaking to her, but she couldn't find any words to say to him. _He_ had assaulted people before and now he wanted her. She was terrified now and regretted watching the news tonight. She felt Darien's hand against her own and without thinking, coiled her fingers around his until their hands were interlocked together.

"I'm scared," she said in a small voice.

"I know." Slowly his hands found their way to her face and he gently enveloped her chin in his free hand before turning her head to face him. "Listen to me, Serena, I promise that I won't let him hurt you again. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I'm tired," she said, standing shakily, her hand still intertwined with his.

"Okay," he said, following her towards her bedroom. She turned around upon reaching the door's threshold to face him.

"Thanks again, for everything. You really are like my knight, you know. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be fine. If there's anything I've learned about you Serena is that you're the strongest woman I've ever meant."

"Still, with you around I feel better."

As she began to shut the door, Darien put his hands up to stop her. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Sure."

"That day in the arcade, why did you run to me? I mean Andrew was there, people from your school were there, why me?"

She paused, thinking. "Because despite our fights and arguments, I knew you would protect me…I knew it in my bones."


	6. Chapter 5

Ramifications

Chapter 5

A/N:

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

I

I

Darien fidgeted in bed, his hands hanging from the edge of the mattress as he slowly began to wake. Turning to lay on his back, he swore he smelled the alluring aroma of bacon and could even hear the sound of it sizzling in the pan. He momentarily wondered who could be cooking breakfast before a knock on the door started him.

"Darien!" said Serena, her voice muffled as she yelled through the door. "I made breakfast, get your ass out here!"

He chuckled before untangling his body from the sheets and walking toward the door. In the kitchen, Serena finished putting bacon and eggs onto a white plate and setting them on the table when Darien emerged from his bedroom.

If Serena had been holding something, she would have dropped it.

Darien, in all of his semi-nude glory was standing in the living room of his apartment, shirtless. She had known he probably had a great body but she was completely shocked at how magnificent he looked with his clothes off. "See something you like?" Darien asked, smiling widely at her response to him. He had forgotten to put on a shirt this morning.

"No," she said defiantly, scowling at him. Darien watched as Serena turned away from him sharply, her wavy golden blonde hair sparkling in the light of the morning sun. "Sit down. It's going to get cold."

Darien walked toward the table and immediately laughed at what he saw. On two plates sat chocolate chip pancakes with smiley faces made from whipped cream. On the plate that Darien assumed was his had the words "thank you" spelled out with M & M's. He smiled. "What's all this?"

"Well," began Serena, pouring them orange juice and bringing it to the table, "making you breakfast was the least I could do for you."

"You didn't have to Serena," he said, sitting down and taking a bite of the pancake. "These are great. I haven't had these in years."

"Chocolate chip pancakes?" Serena asked, sitting across from him.

"Yea," he said wistfully. "My mom used to make them for me before she died."

Serena grimaced when she suddenly realized that she had never seen or heard of Darien's parents. "I'm sorry," she said, reaching across the table and touching his hand. "What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Car crash, when I was six."

"And your dad?"

"He died in the crash too."

"I'm sorry," she repeated, not knowing what to say.

"It's okay," he said, biting into a strip of bacon and smiling at her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. My headache is better," she said, biting into her pancake and getting whipped cream on her upper lip. Darien laughed. "What?"

He pointed to her face. "You've got something on your mouth," he said, watching with avid interest as Serena touched her lip and then proceeded to lick her fingers clean. If Darien's mouth hadn't been full, he might have groaned in response to her actions. He kept watching, as her little pink tongue, darted out of her mouth and licked her lips clean.

"What?" she asked, once she found him staring at her.

"Nothing," said Darien. Now it was his turn to blush. Serena was going to open her mouth to tease him just as the phone rang. He quickly got up to get it.

"Hello," said Darien into the phone.

"_Is this Darien_ _Chiba?" asked a female's voice._

"Yes, it is," he said, looking at Serena and shrugging as she looked at him confusedly.

"_Are you the current guardian of Serena Tsukino?"_

"Yes, I am," he replied.

"_This is Lynn Nakagawa calling from the police department. We found out some information that we at the department think is important for you to know."_

"Okay," Darien said slowly, turning his back to Serena.

"_The name of the man who attacked Serena is Jim Kobe. Upon further investigation of Kobe, we were able to find his place of residence. At his house we found several pictures that he had taken of your friend, ranging from her in her school uniform, to her at cheerleading practice."_

"I see," said Darien, his face paling.

"_Also, he seemed to have acquired a lock of her hair, which was kept in the small shrine he had dedicated to her in the closet of his bedroom."_

"He had what?" Darien asked loudly, forgetting that Serena was sitting behind him, looking extremely uncomfortable. She had no idea who Darien was talking to. "Are you sure it's hers?"

"_We ran a DNA test, and unfortunately, yes it does belong to Serena." _Darien sighed before running his hand over his face. The man had been obsessed with her. "_Darien, as her guardian, you need to watch Serena carefully. Kobe_ _didn't live alone, and his roommate has gone missing since his arrest. At this moment we are not sure if he was involved with stalking Serena or if he was unaware of Kobe_'_s obsession. Regardless, we need to you to be extremely careful."_

"I will," he said firmly. He thanked the woman police officer and hung up the phone.

"Darien?" asked Serena, rising from her seat and staring at his back.

He didn't respond. He couldn't believe this was happening. How was he supposed to tell her that the man who attacked her had been watching her for sometime and that there was possibly someone else out there who could be a danger to her? He turned around slowly to find her wide, scared eyes looking at him.

"It's him, isn't it?" she said, sitting in the seat and staring at the ground.

Darien rushed to her side and crouched in front of her. "What did they say?" she asked firmly. When Darien remained silent, she probed him again, her voice commanding.

"She said that he….he was…stalking you," he said quietly, brushing her hair from her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. "She said…he had built a shrine to you that had pictures and something that belonged to you."

Serena sat quietly, her stomach churning. She had seen _him_ before, around her school, at the arcade, on the bus. How could she not have put two and two together? "I'm so stupid," she whispered, burying her head in her hands.

"What? No you're not!" he said, stroking her hair, her silken strands coiling around his fingers.

"Yes, I am!" she cried, looking up at him, her face wet with tears. "I saw him Darien! At my school, at the arcade, following me all the time! And I didn't do anything about it! This is my fault." He wiped her tears as best as he could, but her eyes poured with sadness.

"Listen to me," he said, holding the sides of her face and forcing her to look at him. "This is not your fault, do you understand? He was sick and perverted! You didn't make him hurt you Serena, so don't you dare think that. Bad things happen to good people. Please don't blame yourself."

"You're smushing my face," she said after a moment's pause. Darien quickly removed his hands from her head.

"Sorry," he said, flashing her a charming smile.

"Why is it that every time I try to get over this, something else bad happens?" she asked, sniffling.

He sat and watched her wipe her face with the napkin before approaching her with an idea that he hoped would make her happy. "Let's leave," he said.

"What?" she asked, rubbing her red nose.

"Let's get out of here for the day, just you and me."

"Where can we go?"

"I don't know, we'll just drive and see where we end up. Come on Serena, you need to get away from here. It'll be fun."

"I didn't know that word was part of your vocabulary," said Serena, smiling broadly. "What is this fun?"

Darien laughed. "Do you want to go or not?"

She shrugged. "Let's do it."

I

I

Shortly after breakfast, Darien and Serena found themselves in his red convertible cruising down the streets on a perfect summer day. They had passed the arcade, deciding that after what happened there, it wouldn't be a good idea to pop up there just two days later. Eventually, after an hour of pleasant driving and fighting over music stations in Darien's car, they decided to go to the beach.

"Looks like we got here just in time," said Darien, a crowd of people following them from the parking structure.

"Darien, what are we going to do here? I don't have a swimsuit; we don't even have a blanket."

"Don't worry about," he said, his hand resting on her back as they ascended the stairs. Immediately Serena felt the warm breeze hit her face and inhaled the pleasant smell of the ocean. For the first time in a few days, she wasn't constantly weighed down by paralyzing bouts of fear.

Darien ushered her into the nearest shop and Serena briefly wondered why they were going inside of a bikini store. "Pick out something," he said, opening his wallet and handing her a credit card.

"I can pay for it," she said indignantly, her hands on her hips.

"It's fine," he said, smiling at her and sitting down in a straw seat across from the dressing room. Serena was staring at him with an annoyed look on her face. "Hurry and pick something out, meatball head, we don't have all day."

She snickered before tucking the card in the back pocket of her jeans. After all the crap Darien had put her through, she deserved a little pay back. She decided to let him pay for her swimsuit _and _sandals. Looking through the racks of clothes, Serena tried to find something cute, functional and modest but all this store seemed to have was string bikinis and that was the last thing she wanted to wear.

Darien sighed in his chair. Damn girls always took too long to shop. Exasperatedly, he got from his seated position and walked to the rack next to Serena. "What size are you?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not telling you," she cried, forcefully moving the clothes along.

"Come on, your like a zero," he said, looking Serena up and down. "I don't know how you can eat all that food and still be so small."

"I do exercise," she said, picking a one piece suit from the rack and eyeing it wearily. It looked like it was made for a forty-year old.

"That's ugly," said Darien, chuckling at the look she shot him.

"Look, you're getting impatient and then when I find something you criticize it!"

"I'm not walking around the beach with you in that," he said, staring at the green and pick polka dotted swimsuit. Frantically, Serena began searching through the racks before picking out the most modest looking swimsuit she could find. After finding her size she walked into the fitting room, leaving Darien resting against the wall, his hands crossed over his chest.

Serena quickly removed her clothes and began putting on the swimsuit. She wasn't sure how this looked on her as there were no mirrors in the dressing room. Sighing loudly she walked outside. Darien hadn't noticed that she had come out until she cleared her throat impatiently. When he finally looked at her, he almost choked on his own saliva. She was wearing a pink and white striped bikini. The top tied around her neck and elevated her already ample cleavage. His eyes swept down to her flat, toned stomach and even further down to the bikini bottom. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Is this okay?" she asked, avoiding Darien's gaze.

"Yea," he said slowly, "yea that's fine." He couldn't believe this was meatball head. Clumsy, goofy, annoying Serena Tsukino was actually a goddess underneath her clothes. Maybe going to the beach was a bad idea. It was bad enough he was attracted her before she started flouncing around in bikinis looking sexy as hell, but now she was living with him and the thought that she was sleeping just a few feet away from him would drive him crazy at night.

"Is something wrong with you? You look pale," said Serena, walking up to him looking concerned. Her fingers grazed against his cheek before she pressed her palm against his head.

"I'm fine," he said, grabbing her hand and removing it from its face. "You should buy a towel. You can't walk around the beach like that."

"Why not?" she asked annoyed. "What, am I not up to par with the normal floozies you spend your time with?"

Darien laughed loudly. "Why Serena, you sound jealous," he said, walking to the men's side of the store and grabbing a pair of swim trunks in his size and a towel before walking to the counter. He signaled for Serena to join him. She went back into the dressing room to collect her belongings and walked outside and stood next Darien. She handed him his credit card.

Darien rolled his eyes as he stared at her before walking to the towel rack, picking another one and handing it to the cashier. By no means would he let her walk around the beach in such a minimal amount of clothing. The store owner rung up their clothes, smiling at the scowls they were shooting each other. Serena was annoyed that he had practically called her ugly and Darien was trying to keep himself from picking her up and throwing her on the couch and taking her in this store. For the first time in a while, he wished that Keiko was around. He needed to get laid.

After Darien purchased their clothing, which came up to a fairly large amount of money, they walked out of the store in silence and headed toward a secluded spot on the beach. Serena, not wanting to appall Darien by her looks any further, kept the huge towel wrapped firmly around her body. Darien sat their things down before stalking off to the bathroom and changing into his swim shorts. He was desperately hoping that the sea water was extremely cold.

He returned shortly, his casual clothing tucked under his arms. Serena would have had a more startling reaction to him being shirtless if she hadn't seen him semi-nude this morning and if she wasn't so irritated. Darien laid the huge towel onto the ground and laid down, before turning to look at her. "Why are you still wearing that? You can take it off now."

"Thank you master," she said bowing before standing up and ripping the towel from her body. Darien groaned. Coming to the beach was a really bad idea. He immediately turned onto his stomach to hide the growing the bulge forming at his crotch. Serena heard the sound he made, but figured that it was a sound that assured his annoyance with her.

"I'm going into the water," she said before sprinting forward into the icy water that shadowed her body from Darien's view. He scowled in her direction. This could not be happening to him. There were so many reasons why he shouldn't be attracted to Serena. She was seventeen and he was twenty-two, she annoyed and confused him to no end, she was like a little sister to his best friend, and she was definitely not his type. He could go on forever about why he _shouldn't _be with her and completely discarded the reasons why he should. He watched her frolic in the water, her and some kids he didn't know engaging in a water fight. Leave it to Serena to make friends instantly with people he was sure she didn't know. He smiled at the thought. She was probably the sweetest, most caring person he had ever meant. He had seen that when she was with her friends. She would bend over backwards to please them and make sure that everyone was happy. He was surprised when she looked over at him and smiled. Suddenly, the kids she had been playing with grabbed buckets, filled them with water and began to run in his general direction. He opened his mouth in protest just as buckets of cold water were dumped on his head by the laughing children. He sputtered before jumping to his feet and charging at Serena. She shrieked and began running down the beach, her new companions laughing at Darien's reaction to her little joke.

"I'm going to get you for that Serena!" yelled Darien, the wet sand scrunching in between his toes.

"You have to catch me first," she yelled, quickening her pace. Thankfully, Serena was an avid runner and was in the best shape of her life. Darien concurred that she was fast, but so was he. Within a few seconds he had caught up to her and grabbed for her arm, but missed. She laughed loudly and ran deeper into the ocean, her back facing the sea as she laughed at him. Darien, looking out into the ocean, watched as a huge wave approached and decided not to say anything. She looked at him oddly as he smirked at her, just as she was pushed forward and knocked off her feet. She got up from the sand, sputtering and coughing. He rushed toward her, laughing loudly as she glared at him from the sandy ground.

"It's what you get," he said. She stuck her tongue out him. He bent over to pick her up when a series of waves pushed them down onto the rocky ocean ground. Together they scrambled to get out of the water, running and slipping as they made their way back to the shore. By the time they made it there, they were both laughing uncontrollably.

"Truce?" asked Serena through bouts of laughter as she collapsed onto the sand.

"Yea," Darien said, smoothing back his wet hair and staring down at the beautiful blonde that was sitting beneath him. He let out his hand to help her up and she took it. Effortlessly, he pulled her to her feet and subsequently into his arms, his hands grabbing instinctively around her waist to steady her.

Serena found herself face to face with Darien, her breathing heavy as she tried to recover from all the running. Being in such a close vicinity to Darien wasn't helping her either. He ran his fingers along the side of her face, tucking her wet strands behind her ear. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and he could feel her strained nipples brush against him. He bit back a groan and instead tightened his grip on her.

"You okay?" he whispered to her, his eyes darkening as she looked up at him. There was that intense look again. The one that he gave her where she couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. It was like he was devouring her with his eyes and she felt lost in his azure gaze. His fingers were rubbing the small of her back and the feeling of her being so close was intoxicating. She almost lost her balance and Darien took that as an opportunity to pull her closer, his fingers brushing against her butt. She could feel his cool breath tickle her face as her lips inched closer to his.

Darien's head was spinning. He was usually adept at exercising his self control but around her he was losing it. Then she leaned her head in closer and Darien completely lost any remaining semblances of restraint. Immediately his lips brushed against hers and he heard a surprised sound escape her throat before crushing his mouth against hers. Serena latched her arms around his neck and began running her fingers through his silky wet hair. His tongue demanded entrance into her mouth and she immediately complied. There lips rubbed against each other's in a pleasant dance and Serena moaned when Darien nipped at her lip. Where did she learn how to kiss like this?

This girl was going to be the death of him.

Darien groaned loudly when Serena slid her tongue against his bottom lip. They continued ravishing each other until the need for air outweighed their need for physical contact. They parted roughly, breathing hard and looking in every direction but each other's. When Serena finally caught his eye, she saw something in it that made her stomach lurch. Regret. He couldn't believe he had kissed her like that, on the beach no less.

She was looking at him with those painfully large eyes and he wasn't sure if he should walk away from her or kiss the painfully swollen lips that were parted on her beautiful, blushing face. Serena felt incredibly stupid. She had kissed him and she had no idea why he had returned it, but now, she could tell he completely regretted it. Blinking away the tears burning in her eyes, she turned away from him. His heart dropped when he saw her eyes begin to water. Did she really despise him that much that the amazing kiss they had just shared made her cry?

"I want to leave," she said firmly, staring at the ocean.

Darien sighed. He had ruined their day and had completely destroyed any possibility of them becoming friends because of one incredible, perfect kiss. "Okay," he said, quietly, the two of them walking toward their things and thinking of the kiss they had just shared.


	7. Chapter 6

Ramifications

Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the delay. My boyfriend just left the country for the summer and I've been a tad depressed. Anyway, hope u like! And thanks for the fabulous reviews, they keep me sane at a time like this.

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

I

I

The ride back home had been silent, neither of them in much of a mood for talking. Try as she might, Serena couldn't shake away the wonderful feeling of being so close to Darien. Likewise, he was thinking of how she felt in his arms. She watched as he turned into the covered parking structure and turned off the ignition. He sat quietly in the driver's seat, opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the words to justify his actions. He contemplated telling her that he felt a growing attraction between the two of them, that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and that his time with her during the past two been days had been the some of the best moments of his life. Failing to sum up the courage to tell her how he felt, Darien let his head fall against the horn and it honked loudly. An elderly woman in the structure shrieked at the loud noise and Darien immediately got out of the car and apologized.

Serena climbed out of the vehicle slowly, trudging over to the door that Darien was holding open for her, neither of them able to face each other. She passed by him and they stood in the elevator, quite a distance apart from each other. When they finally reached the landing of his apartment and his door, both Darien and Serena were shocked to see Amy, Raye, Mina and Lita beating loudly on Darien's door.

"What are you guys doing?" Serena cried, quickly gaining their attention. The four girls screamed and rush toward their friend.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" asked Raye, reaching her first and hugging her tightly.

"We heard what happened," said Mina tearfully, grabbing Serena's hand as Raye continued to embrace her.

"Who told you?" asked Serena, hugging all of the girls once Raye finally let her go.

"Andrew. I went in there to play some games after I got back from my vacation and Andrew blurted it out. I told the girls and we came looking for you. Tell me it's not true that you're staying with Darien!" cried Lita as the others watched Serena, waiting for an answer.

Darien, who happened to be standing right behind Serena, rolled his eyes. "No, she's just walking up to my apartment to finish the tea party we started two days ago," he said grimly, passing by them and keying into his apartment. He hadn't meant to snap at the gaping girls, but what just happened between him and Serena had left his nerves frazzled. So did the thought of the girls trying to take Serena away from him.

"Well, that's preposterous. You can stay with me at the temple," Raye offered, smiling.

"I agree with Raye," said Amy. "You staying with Darien is a bad idea. He _is_ a male."

"And he is standing right here," said Darien, leaning against the door a cross expression on his face.

Amy blushed. "I didn't mean to offend you Darien, but Serena is seventeen, you know. And you're in college, I'm sure you don't want some teenager hanging around you."

Serena looked at him to hear his response. He paused before answering. "Actually, I do."

"You do what?" asked Lita.

"I want Serena to stay," he said simply.

"Why?" cried Raye.

Serena eyed her strangely and realized why Raye might be adamant about her not staying with Darien. She had completely forgotten about the huge crush Raye had on him. Serena pulled her dark-haired friend to the side. "I don't want him, Raye," she said, eyeing her meaningfully. Darien chuckled; he had heard what Serena said and was aware about how Raye felt about him.

Raye, embarrassed at Serena's statement, began to sputter and cough before Lita smacked her on the back. "That's not the point," said Raye, looking at Serena menacingly. "I just think that we're Serena's best friends and we should look after her is all."

"I agree," said Mina, crossing her arms over chest and staring defiantly at Darien.

"That's out of the question," he said eyeing them wearily. "Her parents already know that she's here and the police know that she's in my care."

"So then call them and tell them that things have changed!" cried Lita.

"No."

"No?" asked Raye.

"Yes."

"Yes?" asked Mina confused.

Darien sighed. "No, I'm not calling her damn parents!"

"Look at you, Serena has already driven you crazy. All the more reason why she should sty with us."

"Hey!" cried Serena in protest. "I haven't done anything to him that he didn't like!" Instantly after she said that, she covered her mouth. Darien smiled broadly.

"What's does _that _mean?" asked Raye, finally noticing that Serena was wearing a bikini top and blue jeans. "And where the hell have you two been?

Serena blushed. "The beach," she said.

"You've had us worried to death about you while you're frolicking at the beach with _my _Darien?" cried Raye, her eyes widening. "I mean…not my Darien…but just…because I don't know you that well…and...um…"

"Just don't talk anymore," said Amy as Serena, Lita and Mina giggled. Darien remained silent.

"I needed to get away. Darien took me to the beach to get my mind off of the man that tried to attack me," said Serena, clutching her throbbing head. Darien noticed her distress and immediately rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. This gesture of affection didn't go unnoticed by the group of girls.

"Are you okay?" he asked, caressing her face as Raye looked on angrily.

"Yea," she said, glancing up at him quickly then staring at the carpet. "I just feel a bit dizzy, that's all."

"Let's go inside," he said, leading her into his apartment.

"She's not going with you Darien," said Lita, grabbing Serena's arm and pulling her toward the group of girls.

"Stop being ridiculous," he said, jerking her back.

"You hate Serena and I'm being ridiculous?" asked Lita, pulling her again.

"I don't hate her," he growled, tugging Serena close to him.

"Since when?" asked Mina.

"Since now! Let her go!"

"You let her go!" cried Lita.

"Stop it!" Serena yelled finally, jerking her arm from Lita's strong grip. "I'm not a yo-yo!"

"Sorry, Serena, we're just trying to protect you," said Amy.

"I know that, just…I'm okay here," said Serena looking to Darien, who smiled at her. "I mean…he's been really nice to me and stuff and besides he's right, my parents already know I'm here and they think it's a good idea."

"Is that the only reason you want to stay with him?" Raye asked darkly.

"Excuse me?" asked Serena.

"Three days ago the two of you had to be beaten off each other with a stick and now its all hugs and sunshine. What happened between the two of you?" asked Raye suspiciously.

"W-what? Nothing…that's idiotic. Me and Darien?" Serena chuckled nervously. "It's not like that Raye!"

"He's too old for you," Raye cried, her face reddening.

"Then he's too old for you too," Serena yelled back. "We are the same age, after all." Raye remained quiet.

"Look," began Darien, putting up his hands to silence the arguing pair. "For the last time, I'm looking after Serena and that's the end of it." He held out his hand to Serena and she hesitantly took it. "She belongs with me."

Serena smiled at him and he returned the gesture. "Go home you guys," said Serena wearily. "I'll call you tomorrow." The girls watched with gaping mouths as the two of them disappeared into Darien's apartment.

I

I

"Sorry about that," said Serena as Darien closed the door behind them.

"It's alright; they're just looking out for you. How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting on the couch and patting the space next to him.

"I'm okay," she said, sitting next to him. "And yourself?"

Darien could tell she was uncomfortable and he realized that the kiss they had shared earlier would eventually have to be discussed. "Serena…about the beach…I-"

"Forget about it," she said waving her hands dismissively. "You're a guy and I'm pretty sexy so I can imagine you couldn't help yourself."

"You're sexy? You were kissing me too, you know."

"Momentary weakness," she said, shrugging.

"I don't think so," he said, staring at her hungrily. She was still wearing that god damned bikini, which was giving him a full view of her breasts. "Do you want to put some clothes on or something?"

Serena watched as he squirmed uncomfortably on the couch. He had been such a jerk to her for her whole life, it was only fair that she paid him back. "No," she said firmly, turning to stare at him. Slowly she reached up and removed the elastic band from her hair, letting her mane flow freely down her back. She shook her head softly as her blonde waves moved to frame her face. "Does it bother you?" she asked seductively, leaning against the armrest and facing Darien.

"No," he said, not looking at her. He knew what the hell she was doing and if she kept on Darien couldn't be responsible for his actions. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" she asked innocently, scooting closer to him on the couch so that their bare shoulders were touching. "I'm not doing anything."

Darien sighed. "Serena if you keep doing that, both you and I are going to regret it."

She laid her head on his shoulders and began caressing his arms; Darien shivered. "I highly doubt that."

Biting her lip to keep from laughing at the determined expression on his face, she reached up and touched his chin as he turned to look at her. "Serena," he whispered staring into her big, blue eyes. Warning bells were going off in his head and try as he might to pull away from her, her gaze kept his body frozen next to her.

"What?" she asked, leaning in closer to him.

"Don't do this," he pleaded hoping that even though he wasn't able to control himself, at least she would be.

"Why not?"

"Because…"

"That's not a good enough reason for me to stop," she said, her nose touching his. He breathed in deeply to keep from hyperventilating. What the hell was wrong with him? In terms of affairs of the heart and the bedroom, Darien had always been the aggressor and more importantly the one with all the control. So why now, was this seventeen year old bombshell driving him so crazy.

"Serena, please," he begged. By now he wasn't sure what he was asking her. Part of him knew they should stop but another part of him felt as though he would die if she pulled away from him.

"Tell me what you want, Darien," she cooed, her fingers digging into his dark, silky strands. At first she was going to tease him a bit, but this had turned into something she couldn't control. She wanted him in a way that she had never wanted a man before. Regardless of the sexually active and hormonal acquaintances that she sometime talked to, she had never felt the particular need to have sex. But now, dear god, she wanted to feel him on top of her, their flesh hot and moist against each other, his lips all over her body, his hands gripping her tightly. At this moment, she wanted Darien more than anything than she ever had in her whole life.

"Kiss me," he said his voice no higher than a whisper. Without hesitation she complied. She straddled him before descending onto his lips, their mouths wrestling frantically. She moaned into his grip as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her so close to him that her breasts ached painfully as they were squashed into his chest. Her hands were in his hair, around his neck, on his thighs, clawing at his skin as if she were a rabid animal. His tongue demanded entrance and she relented.

In the back of his mind things he knew were going too fast and that soon he wouldn't be able to stop himself. He didn't want to hurt her…and a part of him didn't want this. Her friends were right; she was too young for him. He was going to medical school and she was barely finishing high school. What would her parents think? But she was so beautiful, so sweet and caring…and she was a fabulous kisser.

He tried to release his grip on her but her mouth was persistent and she won him over. Forcefully, he picked her up and laid her on the couch before covering her body with his. She wrapped her legs around him and sighed at how perfect he felt against her. Her hands were upon him again, inside his shirt, caressing his back as he planted soft kisses on her cheek and neck. She cried out when he nibbled on her neck and Darien wanted more than anything to hear her make that sound again, to hear her cry his name as he drove into her. Serena moved her body into a more comfortable position underneath her, causing Darien to sink into her embrace and his manhood to brush against her hot core. He broke the kiss and groaned loudly. Despite the pleasure it gave him, the realization that he was seconds away from taking her on his couch brought him back to reality.

With a swift motion he was away from her, standing and breathing raggedly. "I…we shouldn't do this."

"Why not?" asked Serena, confused. Had she done something wrong? Did she hurt him?

"Because… we just…we can't okay," he said firmly, running his hands over his face and walking away from her.

"I know you think I'm a kid, but I want this Darien, I want you."

"That's the problem Serena, I want you too! God, I want you so bad! But just because…we shouldn't."

"Tell me why!" she demanded her bruised ego getting the best of her. She knew she wasn't as gorgeous as those other women that Darien had bedded, but she never expected for him to turn her down; not like this.

"If we…if I made love to you right now, there would be so many implications Serena."

"Like what?"

"Do you think that would make me your boyfriend? Because it wouldn't Serena. I don't know what expectations you have-"

"I don't have any. And who said I wanted you to be my boyfriend?"

"So is that all you want this to be, an afternoon fuck? And what about after that?"

"I…I don't know."

"Of course you don't, because you've never experienced a sexual relationship before. Which leads us to another problem, I'm not going to take your virginity. Not like this."

"Well how would you rather do it? On a bed of roses? Don't you think that's a bit clichéd?"

"Of course not!" he yelled. "I want you to love me!"

Serena quieted immediately at his admission. She hadn't expected him to say that. She opened her mouth to respond but she couldn't find the words. Darien realized his mistake and quickly tried to fix it. "That's not what I meant to say," he said honestly. "I want you to be in love. I know you Serena and I know that you're the type of person that will remember your first time for the rest of your life. More so than other people… that's just the way you are. I don't want this…me, to be something you regret. I'm sorry…but I can't do this with you."

Serena was surprised by the sincerity in his eyes. Part of her knew that he was right….but the other part… she knew she didn't love him, and wasn't sure if she ever could…but she liked him. Wasn't that enough?  
"No," he said firmly. "No." He was speaking to himself now. He was doing the right thing, he knew it. It didn't matter that to him that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. It didn't matter that she could make him laugh and smile and it didn't matter that she took all his loneliness and sadness away. He was doing this for her. He promised he'd protect her. Even if that meant from himself.

He looked at her solemnly before turning away and walking in his bedroom. Slowly he closed the door behind him, leaving Serena to silently cry on his living room couch.


	8. Chapter 7

Ramifications

Chapter 7

A/N: No, I'm not dead; yes, it has been ages, and yes, I do apologize for the wait but I've been out of town. But I'm back now and I promise to make it up to with many updates. Maybe even another one by the end of this week. So yes, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

I

I

Serena watched waterfalls of heavy liquid trickle down the window panes of Darien's top floor penthouse apartment. It had barely been a day since the incident on the couch and Serena hadn't left her room. She felt so many things right now: stupidity, embarrassment, pain. Now she was sure Darien thought she was immature. She hadn't meant to throw herself at him like that and wasn't accustomed to moving so quickly with men, but something about him sparked a fire deep inside of her that even she struggled to quench. She figured that everyone had a vice and Darien happened to be hers.

Naturally, he hadn't taken well to her locking herself in the bedroom and had gone to great lengths to lure her out. He offered her ice cream, any kind of food she wanted and even a shopping spree. But eventually the knocking on her door and yelling to her stopped and he finally gave up on trying to get her to leave her room. Did he really expect something as delectable as ice cream to get her to come out and face him? Yes it was her favorite and yes it was a low blow, but even that frozen treat couldn't buy her a date with destiny.

But the problem was it was almost seven and Serena hadn't eaten all day. Her stomach began to protest at two and she quickly remedied her problem by forcing herself to sleep through her hunger. Yet now, the pains were back with a vengeance and if she didn't get food fast, she was liable to pass out. Gently she crawled off the bed onto the padded, soft carpet beneath her. She was still a bit nervous about venturing into the unknown world that was Darien's living room even though she hadn't heard a peep out of him or any movement since the late afternoon. She opened the door with ease and cautiously glided across the living room floor before making a beeline for the kitchen. Slowly she opened the refrigerator and was immediately exhilarated by the sight of a whole, roasted chicken just begging to be devoured by her. She grabbed the box it was in, a few napkins and a water bottle from Darien's fridge before shutting the door and proceeding back to her room. Like a crack of lightening Darien was in front of her, staring up at her from the living room couch, a dazed expression on his face. If she had seen him on the couch she would not have even attempted her stealth operation to acquire food. But there he was, his hair disheveled, his eyes unfocused as he stared at her with minimal emotion on his face.

"I thought I was going to have to call in a favor with the nation's defense to get you out of that room," he said after a beat. Serena remained quiet. "You can't hide in their forever."

"Yes, I can," she said. "If I buy a mini fridge and fully stock it I could live in that room for at least a week before needing to restock."

"I don't think a mini fridge can feed _your _insatiable appetite."

"Well nice to know that we're back where started," she said, sweeping past him. Darien couldn't help but notice the edge in her voice.

"Where we started?"

"You insulting me," she said as she reached the door.

"When it's true I usually don't consider it an insult. You do have a large appetite Serena. But I never said that was a bad thing," he countered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nice save, Darien, you really are a genius," she said, stepping into the bedroom and grabbing the door to slam it shut.

"I do have a key you know, and I could have come into that bedroom at any time," he said standing and watching her.

"Well it's a good thing that you didn't, or you would have gotten a swift kick in the huevos, my friend."

"I'm glad the Spanish class you're taking is being put to good use."

"Are you done?"

"No," he said, stepping toward her. "Look Serena, we need to handle whatever happened as adults-"

"Are you calling me a child?"

"No, but you _are _acting like one."

"Well I am seventeen and I am entitled to act like a child because according to you, I _am _a child. If the shoe fits, right?"

"Apparently, you disregarded everything else I said last night, didn't you."

"Of course I did, Darien, I'm a girl; we tend to zero in on the negative."

"I won't argue with that. Serena if we're going to get through this, you need to talk to me."

"Oh I think we've talked enough for several lifetimes. My parents will be back in probably another week or so, okay and then we can part ways and you'll never have to spend this much time with a child again."

Darien grunted loudly in frustration. "You are infuriating!"

"Yes, well so are you!"

He chuckled. "You weren't saying that yesterday."

"Way to pour salt in the wounds," she said, sitting the food on the floor in front of her door.

Darien sighed. "Come on, Serena, I was just kidding."

"I'm not hungry anymore," she said, slamming the door loudly.

He shook his head before collecting the food and putting it back in the refrigerator. "Selfish brat," he muttered to himself. Couldn't she see this was just as hard for him? He had this beautiful, amazing girl sleeping in the next room and he had to go be chivalrous and do the right thing when she was practically throwing herself at him. He shook his head as he listened to the various sounds that were erupting from Serena's room. He hoped she wasn't being vicious to his furniture. After he heard a particularly loud smashing sound, he rushed toward the door just as Serena pulled it open and stepped outside, a sour expression on her face. She was fully dressed in jeans and a sweater and was holding onto a duffle bag.

"Where the hell are you going?" he asked.

"To Raye's," she said. "I can't stay here right now. They were right, this was a bad idea."

"So we have one disagreement and you pick up and leave? What a way to take the easy way out."

"It's not the easy way out, Darien. It's the only way. I can't just sit here and live with you and pretend that last night didn't happen or that you didn't hurt my feelings. You didn't want me Darien; I can't face that right now."

"You're not the only one struggling with this decision, so stop playing the martyr!"

"No wonder you didn't want anything to do with me, since I'm so melodramatic."

"You're blowing this way out of proportion."

"Am I, Darien? Because I think I'm doing what's best for us. And maybe what happened last night was a good kick in the pants for both of us. You and I are like fire and ice, there is no way we could _ever _be together."

Darien's jaw clenched. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I? We didn't fight like rabid monkeys for no reason for the past four years. And we spend a couple of days together and all of a sudden we're best buds teetering on the edge of a sexual relationship. I can't stand it here right now, I need to go."

He watched silently as she lugged her bags towards the door. "How…how long will you be gone?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said.

"Will you be back?"

"I don't know," she repeated.

"Let me drive you," he said, walking towards her.

"No, I already called a cab it's probably waiting right now," she said quietly as he approached her. Darien stared at her and realized that all he wanted to do was touch her face, to see her smile, to hear her laugh. Letting her go was the hardest thing he had ever done in his entire life. He wanted her here with him.

"Bye, Darien," she said, walking into the hall.

"Serena," he said as she turned to face him, "I meant what I said. You belong here, with me."

She smiled at his sincerity and knew that he meant what he was saying. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, before turning and walking toward the elevator. He watched her retreating figure, his eyes closing as the sorrow that he felt before her entrance into his life welcomed itself back into his heart.

I

I

"Not that I'm not thrilled that you're here and that you listened to me," began Raye as she sat her mug of hot chocolate down on the table, "but what happened between the two of you?"

"Nothing." Serena smiled. "He's just a little overwhelming that's all."

Raye's eyes narrowed. "How do you mean?"

"He's Darien and I'm Serena," she said laughing. "Need I say more?"

Raye sighed. "I guess not. So are you going back to his place? Because you know that you're more than welcome here."

"Thanks, Raye, but I think I'll be heading back tomorrow."

"Because?"

"Because regardless of the fact that we don't get along, I feel safe with him and I know that he'll take care of me."

"Funny, Darien doesn't seem like the nurturing type."

Serena laughed. "Yea, he doesn't. But when he wants to be, he can really kind and gentle, and sweet and funny," she responded whimsically.

Raye cleared her throat. "Serena we've been friends for longer than I can remember. And if I asked you a question, would you promise to tell me the truth?"

"Of course, Raye," said Serena honestly.

"Is there something going on between you and Darien. Something more than just being housemates?"

Serena was taken aback by her question. Of course there was something more going between them. Well at least according to Serena. They had kissed, twice, almost had sex and she was completely in lo….like with him. "No, there's nothing going on between me and _him_," responded Serena, expressing mock outrage. "That's disgusting. We're polar opposites, he's stubborn and self righteous and besides….I would never…I mean, I know how you feel about him. I would…never…do that to you or our friendship." Serena suddenly felt an overwhelming sensation of guilt. When she was making out with Darien yesterday she had completely ignored the fact that Raye had been in love with him for over two years. Darien had noticed Raye's affinity toward him, but didn't seem to return the sentiment.

Raye sighed in relief before breaking into a huge smile. "For a minute there you had me worried, but I knew you would never do that to me," she said. "And besides the thought of the two of you together is preposterous. That will never happen."

"Yea, you're right Raye," Serena said, trying to hide her disappointment. "It never will."

Raye smiled broadly before digging in a box in the corner and pulling out a magazine. "Want to read some manga?"

I

I

"So I take it things aren't going so well with you and Serena," said Andrew as he and Darien sipped coffee at a local café.

"Why would you say that?" asked Darien, running a hand through his hair.

"You're drinking a white mocha latte and you hate flavored coffee. The only time you drink this stuff is if your brain hurts and you need a sugar rush," said Andrew chuckling.

"Yea," said Darien off handedly before staring at his drink. "You know me too well, Drew."

"So then tell me what's up, Dare," said Andrew. "I know Serena can be a bit annoying and loud at times but she's not that bad."

"Yea I know."

"So what's the problem?"

Darien sighed before rubbing his eyes. "I think I'm falling in love with her."

Andrews's immediate reaction was to spit coffee in Darien's face. "Well thanks for that, buddy, I feel _much_ better now," said Darien, wiping the liquid off his face as Andrew sputtered and coughed.

"You're _what_?" Immediately he burst into tirades of laughter. "No, but seriously Darien what's the problem?"

"I _am_ being serious," he said indignantly.

"Oh," said. "_Oh. _So, what's so wrong with that?" Now it was Darien's turn to spit coffee all over his friend.

"Yea let's try not to do that," said Andrew, wiping the espresso from his face.

"_What's so wrong with that_? She's seventeen!"

"And she'll be eighteen in a month. God, Darien I swear you sometimes think you're thirty."

"Wait a minute…what happened to Serena's like a little sister to me and all that crap?"

"She is like a sister to me, but come on Darien let's be honest, there are worst guys she can date."

"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better."

"Look, I know you'd take care of her and stuff so who cares, you know? If you like her then go for it."

"I've been beating myself up about what you would think about me and Serena and you don't care. That's brilliant," he said sarcastically.

Andrew chuckled. "Look, talk to her, tell her your concerns, feel things out a little more and don't rush into anything. A few days of bliss doesn't always equal a lifetime of happiness. But the first thing you need to do is figure out what you want and tell her. You'll never get past this if you don't."

Darien sighed. "You're right."

"As usual," said Andrew leaning back in his chair, a satisfied expression on his face.

I

I

It was two in the morning and somehow Serena found herself in a cab on the way back to Darien's apartment. Sure, she was pretty pissed about him and the whole situation, but when she sat and thought about it, she realized that he had actually done her a big favor. Deep down she knew she wasn't ready for sex, at least not now and would have regretted sleeping with Darien. He had also saved her from a potentially devastating blow to her and Raye's friendship. After mulling things over in her head, she found herself missing Darien and his snide remarks.

After what felt like hours, the cab pulled up in front of Darien's towering apartment complex. She paid the driver and rushed inside and up to his apartment. With shaky hands she keyed her way into the dark apartment hoping not to have awaken Darien. She was just about to close the door when the shadow of a silhouetted figure burst forward from the darkness.

"Serena?" asked Darien, flicking on the lights to see the blonde in question standing before him, a quirky grin on her face.

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?" he asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I live here for the time being," she said jovially. Darien wondered what had changed her mood.

"When you said 'see you tomorrow' I didn't know that meant in the middle of the night."

"Yea, neither did I," she said. "The truth is…I kind of missed you."

He smiled despite his tiredness. He missed her too. "Let me get that," he said, reaching for her bag.

"Leave it; I'll put it away tomorrow. Besides I think we should talk."

"Okay."

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior-"

"Serena you don't have to."

"Yes, I do, Darien. I overreacted when you were trying to do the right thing. You're right, I was acting like a child and I'm sorry for letting things get too far."

"It still takes two, you know and I wasn't much help in the situation either."

"I suppose not, but I started it and I'm sorry to have put you in that position. I just hope things can go back to normal and that we can be friends," she said, the words leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

Darien struggled with his emotions. When he had finally realized his feelings for her and contemplated the idea of the two of them being together (which was very favorable in his opinion), she decides she wants to be friends. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

"I…no."

"Oh…okay…well, I'll go to bed now," she said. "Sorry to have woken you up." Slowly she began to trudge towards the bedroom when she felt long slender fingers wrap around her wrist.

"I can't do this," he said, his voice gentle.

"Do what?"

"Deny…this…what we have," he said. "And I don't want to."

Serena watched him with wide eyes, her heart beating almost painfully hard in her chest.

"What do you want Darien?"

"You," he said, staring into her eyes. She smiled broadly before taking his hand in hers and gently kissing his palm. He grinned at the gesture.

"What changed your mind?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But there's one thing, Serena. I want to take things as slow as possible. I don't want this to end before it starts."

Serena nodded and smiled gently. "Let's get some sleep," said Darien. "We'll talk about this in the morning." Slowly he bent over and planted a warm solitary kiss on her cheek before heading toward his bedroom.

"Darien?" asked Serena.

"Yes."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

He looked wary.

"Just…sleep," she said. "I've been away from you long enough tonight."

He smiled broadly before opening his bedroom door and gesturing for her to enter. She walked inside and was surprised by the door. It was dark yet airy, elegant but simple. Her biggest shock came from the satin sheets that sat neatly atop Darien's bed.

"Wow, satin sheets, that's pretty porn star-ish," she said matter of factly, taking off her jacket to reveal a green t-shirt and pink pajama bottoms. She crawled into the bed and patted the space next to her until Darien joined her.

"This is nice," she said, running her hands over the sheets. Darien chuckled. She turned on her side to face him just as he gently bent over and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, Serena," he said, his head falling onto the pillow beside her.

"Night, Darien," she replied, her eyes closing as she mentally tried to push away the guilty feelings that were eating away at her conscious. Slowly she drifted off into a deep sleep, awaiting the events and the conversation that tomorrow would surely bring.


	9. Chapter 8

Ramifications

Chapter 8

A/N: I know it's been ages. But I was writing chapters for this and deleting them. So far the pace has been fairly slow and I wanted to keep it that way. I hate stories that go too fast and have Darien and Serena fighting one day and in love the next. That's just not realistic and I didn't want that kind of story to develop. But I do apologize for the delay and I will try to correct that. So on with the story….yes this chapter is dramatic, but trust me it will get worse before it gets better.

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

I

I

Serena stirred, her body instinctively moving closer to the source of heat beside her. She felt something tighten around her belly before pulling her closer to him. For a moment she panicked before realizing that she was in Darien's bed, tucked beneath his strong arms. She smiled to herself, amazed at her current predicament and wondered how this happened. She decided not to question fate and instead turned to face the beautiful young man rousing from sleep beside her. She maneuvered to face him and smiled at the content expression on his. She bent over and kissed his nose. He chuckled lightly before burying his head into the pillow.

"Wake up," she whispered into his ear as she planted kisses along his jaw.

"No," he said groggily, his grip on her tightening.

"Please?" she said, biting on his earlobe, causing Darien to inhale sharply.

"Convince me," he mumbled opening one eye to survey her before shutting his them tightly.

Serena laughed gently before she began planting kisses on his collar bone, down to his bare chest. He groaned loudly at the feeling of her lips pressed against his chest. She ventured lower and began to nibble at the skin right above his boxers. He cried out when her tongue ran across his lower stomach. Her fingers were tracing lines up and down his body and she was convinced that Darien was the most amazing looking man in the universe. He grabbed her chin with his fingertips before bringing his mouth to hers for a gentle kiss. They parted quickly and content in being in his arms, Serena rested her head against his nude chest. His fingers coiled into her long, soft strands and he sighed in satisfaction.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked, his eyes still shut.

"I don't know," she said, shrugging. "You?"

"Whatever you want, sweetheart, the world is your canvas."

Serena almost broke her jaw grinning. He called her sweetheart! "Is it lame for me to want to just lay here like this with you?"

He grinned. "Of course not. But it is a beautiful day, no point wasting it."

"How would you know whether or not it's a beautiful day? You haven't even opened your eyes!"

"Any day that I wake up with you in my arms is beautiful."

Serena was sure that her cheeks were on fire from the amount of blushing she was doing. Luckily, her stomach came up with a suitable purpose for the day as it growled loudly.

"The bottomless pit has spoken," said Darien, opening his eyes and watching her scowl at him. "Let's get something to eat."

I

I

Between dressing themselves, kissing, and arguing with each other it had taken them over two hours to get ready to leave the apartment.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Darien as they cruised down the nearly empty streets of the Juuban district.

"I don't know," she said cheerfully, "where do you want to go?"

Darien grinned at her. "We could do this all day you know."

"You say it like it's my fault."

"Well, I'm offering to take you anywhere you like, _darling_," he said sweetly. Darien couldn't help but muse to himself. If someone told him a year ago that he would be sitting in the car with Serena, his _girlfriend_, completely content with doing absolutely nothing as long as it was with her, he would have gone into cardiac arrest. But here he was, sitting next to who he thought was the most beautiful woman in the world, asking her what she wanted to do on what would become their first date of many.

"I don't know, _muffin_, you choose," she replied in the same tone.

"Muffin?"

"Because you're sweet," she said, her cheeks reddening. Darien looked at her fondly.

"You're awfully cute, you know."

"Don't try to butter me up, where the hell are we going?"

"Well, since you can't make up your mind, how about a burger?"

"Sounds good," Serena replied.

"Our first date and she wants burgers," he muttered, mock angrily.

"Hey I'm a cheap date," she said, shrugging her shoulders and tucking her dangling hair behind her ears.

"I suppose that's a good thing."

"Look why don't we make this easy and just go to the Crown Arcade?"

"Now why didn't I think of that?" asked Darien sarcastically.

"Because I'm the brains of the operation?" she asked coyly.

"If you say so, _cupcake_."

"Now, really Darien, cupcake?"

"You started the food names first!"

I

I

"Hi Andrew," said Serena as she and Darien approached the bar stools in the arcade.

"Well if it isn't the happy couple," said Andrew, looking extremely smug knowing that it was due to him that Darien and Serena were finally together.

"As a matter of fact it is," said Darien, before helping Serena into the chair and taking a seat beside her.

"I think someone owes me a thank you," he said, leaning onto the table and resting his head in his hands.

"For what? Continuously great service?" asked Serena.

"Nope, I'm the reason you two are together."

"Funny, I thought Darien and I were the reason we were together," she said, rolling her eyes playfully. Darien grinned at her.

"Actually, Darien here had a nervous breakdown in the middle of the night and ran to me for help. He obviously came to the right person."

"Which I'm starting to regret," Darien murmured.

"Well if you gave Darien good advice then I am forever indebted to you, Andrew."

"Your appreciation is all I need," he said, wiping off the counter. "What can I get for you?"

"Bacon burger, seasoned fries and a chocolate shake," said Serena.

"I'll have the same, without the shake," said Darien.

"Alright," said Andrew, walking away to place the order.

"Did you really go talk to Andrew last night?"

"Yea, regrettably. He's never going to let me forget this."

Serena chuckled lightly.

After minutes of quiet conversation between the two of them, which Andrew found sickeningly sweet, he brought them their orders.

"Could you two lay off? This is a family establishment," said Andrew, interrupting a rather heated kiss that his two friends were sharing.

Serena blushed profusely while Darien glared at him. "Family establishment? Should I enlighten Serena on what happened between you and Reika in the utility closet?"

"Shut up," Andrew murmured, turning red.

"What happened?" asked Serena, before biting into a french fry.

"Let's just say you could have recorded a Discovery Channel documentary on animalistic behavior based on what they were doing back there."

Serena chuckled. "That's right Dare, laugh it up. Next time I'll make sure my staff spits in your food."

Darien laughed, hoping that Andrew was only joking. "See you in a bit," said Andrew, stalking off to help a waiting customer.

"I can't believe he had sex back there," said Serena disgustedly. "I laid down in their once when I was sick. Gross!"

"Yea, you better burn whatever you were wearing," he said.

Serena giggled before sipping her chocolate shake and letting out a long satisfying moan. Darien eyed her strangely. She had only seen him look at her like that once and that was when they were making out on the couch. She automatically assumed that he wanted some of her shake. "You can have some you know," she said, gesturing towards the chocolate beverage.

"Can I now?" he asked, sultrily. She pushed the cup toward him but he declined. "I'd rather taste it another way."

Slowly he leaned into toward her, his lips brushing against hers, cold from the drink. The temperature of her mouth added another pleasurable dimension to the kiss and he moaned gently as his warm tongue encountered her cold one. His fingers traced circles along the side of her waist as she moved her body closer to his. Her loose hair tickled his cheeks as their kiss increased in duration and passion. She moaned softly when he nibbled at her bottom lip. One of his hands caressed her bare thigh as the other cupped her face. In the distance Serena heard voices familiar to her ears, but the feeling of Darien's lips were drowning her train of thought.

Lita sighed as she, Mina, Amy and Raye entered the Crown Arcade. "God, I'm starving," said Lita, rushing toward the counter and stopping in her tracks as she watched the sight before her.

"Is that Darien?" asked Raye, her heart constricting as she watched him kiss the blonde girl passionately. "Who is _she_?"

"I don't know, new girlfriend," said Mina.

"Yea." Amy chuckled. "New girlfriend who looks surprisingly like Serena."

After a moments pause the group of girls finally realized who it was Darien was mauling at the counter. "SERENA!"

The yelling of her name jolted both Darien and Serena from their coupling. Looking around for who had called her, Serena's heart dropped into her chest when she saw Mina, Lita and Amy looking at her confusedly and Raye looking absolutely horrified. She sat, shocked in her chair as Darien looked from Serena to the girls sharply, realizing the utter importance of this moment. If he could have, he would have scooped Serena into his arms and ran with her until they reached his car. However the girls were blocking the door and Andrew was talking to an employee, blocking the emergency exit. He cursed under his breath.

"I can explain," she said quietly, her voice cracking. Darien noticed that she was trembling and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms. He figured that would only make the situation worse.

"You can explain?" asked Raye hoarsely, her eyes brimming with tears. "How could you do this Serena? How could you do this to me?"

"Raye," began Serena, walking toward her dark haired friend, "I didn't…this wasn't supposed to happen."

"What? You dating Darien behind everyone's back or us finding out? You lied to me, Serena. You lied to me to my face!"

Serena cringed at her accusatory tone. She had never meant to lie to Raye. When she had talked to her last night, she was sure her and Darien would never be together. "I…I didn't lie to you, I didn't know this would happen!"

"You didn't know you'd be making out with Darien in the middle of the god damned arcade?" screamed Raye.

Seeing Raye's fury, Darien approached the arguing girls hoping that he could help quell some of her anger.

"No, I didn't….I didn't expect this to happen between Darien and I, but it did."

"How stupid do you think I am? I knew it! I knew it after the day you went to the beach and he held you right in front of us! I saw it, everyone else saw it! How is it that you were _so_ blind?"

"It's more complicated than that," said Serena.

"No it's pretty simple Serena. You know how I felt about…you know I felt."

"Raye," said Serena, searching for the words to say. She was somewhat relieved when she felt Darien's hands clutch her bare shoulders before pulling her from behind against his chest.

"She's telling the truth, Raye," he said firmly, as he rubbed Serena shoulders to calm her. "We never expected this to happen."

"Don't to justify what she did! This has nothing to do with you. Serena _was _my friend, and she did this knowing damn well what my reaction would be. I _hate_ you, Serena," she said, her voice icy before turning to walk away. Instinctively Serena grabbed for Raye's arm so that she couldn't leave. Surprisingly, just as Serena tugged at Raye, Serena felt a hard stinging sensation on her face as Raye slapped her clean across the cheek. Serena stumbled back in shock, clutching her injured flesh, tears of pain and remorse flowing freely from her eyes.

Raye raised her hand in an attempt to attack Serena again before she felt strong fingers grab her by the wrist. "Don't do that again," said Darien, staring at Raye menacingly.

"Let go of me," she said, tugging at her wrist that Darien held tightly. She watched his stoic faced and realized he wasn't letting her go. Amy and Mina had to hold Lita back from attacking Darien for grabbing Raye and Serena still remained shocked that Raye had assaulted her.

"Calm down," he hissed at Raye, before lowering her hand and letting go. He continued to stare at her as if daring her to make another move against Serena.

"Well Serena, whatever the hell you did with him sure has him smitten with you," said Raye spitefully.

"That's enough!" said Darien to Raye before rushing to Serena and caressing her reddening cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded before walking toward Raye, trying to hold tears of shame and embarrassment back. "I'm so sorry, Raye…I never meant…I'm sorry."

Raye sobbed silently. "I'm sorry too Serena, I never want to see you again." Serena watched helplessly as Raye stormed out of the arcade, Lita on her tail.

Mina and Amy watched as their friends parted ways unsure of which side they should take. Of course Serena was wrong for what she had done, but Raye shouldn't have reacted that way. They had been friends for over ten years, and this is the first fight they had ever had.

"Mina, Amy…" began Serena, trailing off. She didn't know what to say, what was she supposed to say?

"I can't believe this," said Mina quietly. "We're fighting; we never fight, not like this. How could you do this to her? To us?"

"I didn't mean to," said Serena.

"But you did," said Mina. "Now things will never be the same."

Serena watched helplessly as Mina walked slowly out of the arcade.

"Amy?"

"Sorry, Serena, but Mina is right. What you did was…I should go too."

Serena closed her eyes, trying to quell the river of tears that threatened to burst forth. She felt a pair of strong arms envelop her and pull her head against his chest as she sobbed into his shirt. He rested his chin on her head and caressed her until she quieted before escorting her out to his car, the bright afternoon sun burning her red, puffy eyes.

Mina was right; things would never be the same.


	10. Chapter 9

Ramifications

Chapter 9

A/N: I promised you swift updates, didn't I?

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

I

I

Darien sighed as he watched the gentle rise and fall of Serena's chest as she slept soundly in his bed. Running his hands over his tired face, he closed the bedroom door gently and retired to the living room. He plopped onto the couch with a dramatic thud before closing his eyes and leaning tiredly against the headrest. She hadn't said one word to him since they got home from the arcade.

She had been stoic in the car and as Darien could find no kind words to offer her, he made no effort to speak. When she got home, she retired to his bedroom and stayed there for the remainder of the evening. It was almost midnight.

Before, Darien had felt as though he had to keep his feelings in check for so long to ensure that nothing bad would happen to either him, Serena, or the community around them. Perhaps his reservations were correct. Maybe all the anxiety he felt regarding being in a relationship with Serena was valid, and by letting his feelings get in the way of what he knew could end up in disaster, he allowed it to get this far. Now it was up to him to fix it.

He had known all this time how Raye had felt about him, but he owed it to a teenage crush and assured himself that eventually, she would get over it, find someone else and move on. He hadn't expected it to last all this time. He never formally told her that he wasn't interested in her, which he wasn't, assuming that if he ignored the young brunette, that she would eventually get the message and find someone new to like. That was mistake number two.

Now Serena lay broken in his bed, her face red from crying and the stinging slap that Raye offered her earlier today, and here he was sitting in his living room contemplating breaking up with her.

"We only had one day," said Darien, grimacing. And what a day it had been. Waking up with her in his arms was more than he could ask for. She entered his life like a hurricane and he hoped her exit wouldn't be as stormy. He wasn't sure how he should go about it. If he broke all ties with her now, their living situation would become fairly uncomfortable, which could result in a swift departure on Serena's end, leaving her in trouble and vulnerable. But he felt as though this couldn't wait, the only way to satisfy Raye's selfish desires for gratification was if he and Serena were to call off their tryst and try to end things with as much civility as possible.

For the first time in his life Darien was overcome with an acute sense of dread. He had broken plenty of hearts in his time, and never regretted any relationship that ended, especially when they ended on his terms. But for god's sake, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Serena anymore than she had been. And he really didn't want to break up with her. For the first time in his life, he felt like he found someone who completed him in every sense of the word. He was surly and she was cheerful, he was serious and she was playful, she was the exact opposite of him. Maybe that's why the two of them fit together so nicely. But that seemed to be abruptly coming to an end and the idea of this actually working out between them was diminishing.

Throughout his life he had had to do many things which he didn't want, but the idea of not being with her seemed to be eating away at his heart. Darien had never been much of a drinker, but he wished he had some vodka lying around somewhere in his apartment. Serena was bound to be stuck in that room for the rest of the night and he could drown away his sorrows in the tart, savory liquid and try to escape the impending sense of doom that was eating away at his spirit.

He rose suddenly, grabbing his wallet from the coffee table, offering that a quick trip to the liquor store wouldn't kill him and that he would be back by the time Serena woke. His hand was on the knob when he heard her voice, angelic and raspy from behind him.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wall watching him, an intent look on her face. "And what do you mean we only had one day?"

"I didn't know you were awake," said Darien, turning around to find her in the same outfit she had worn to arcade, albeit wrinkled from hours of resting.

"I was never sleep," she said dryly, walking toward him, her eyes slightly red. "Just because I was lying down doesn't mean I was sleeping. I was thinking."

Darien opened his mouth to make a smart comment but decided this wasn't the best time for him to be sarcastic. Serena offered him a sly smile. She knew what he was thinking. "Come here," she said, her form still resting against the wall.

He eyed her strangely before putting down his keys and approaching her with caution. As he neared her he slowly felt himself being enraptured in her arms, her head resting on his chest. "Were you going to leave me?"

"No," he said. "I live here, remember?"

She chuckled lightly. "Where were you going?"

"You don't want to know," he said, tightening his grip on her and letting his chin rest on the top of her head. Why the hell did this have to feel so damn perfect?

"Late night hooker run then?" she asked, giggling against him.

He smiled brightly. "More like a late night liquor run."

She quickly released him, shocked by his statement. She looked up at his face and realized that he was being deadly serious. "You were going to leave me weren't you? I mean break up with me?" she asked, with wide eyes.

"Serena," he said with a huff, "I…maybe it's for the best. This thing with you and Raye is my fault. Your friendship is broken because you're with me."

Serena sighed before leaning against a table. "You know, that's what I was thinking about. Not that it's your fault of course, but what happened today," she began, before pacing slowly around the apartment. "The way she acted….she completely overreacted today. Yea, I was dishonest with her and yes, that wasn't the way I hoped for her to find out. But she made a huge scene in the arcade embarrassing me, you and herself." Serena touched her cheek. "And she slapped me, which was completely uncalled for. And completely not your fault."

"Come again?" Darien asked, shocked by her calmness.

"I'm going to fix things with Raye, Darien," said Serena looking at him meaningfully. "No one can throw away a decade of friendship over one mistake, not even Raye as stubborn as she is. I know her. Her ego is more cracked than anything. She's proud and she's more jealous that I got you and she didn't. She's always been like that with everything, for our whole lives. And when she won, I'd bow out gracefully, but it's time we acted like adults about this. We're not kids anymore."

"No you're not," he said, proud of her attitude.

"And," she said with a sultry smile, "you aren't breaking up with me."

"I'm not?" he asked smiling.

"Are you kidding? After all that mess we went through together you think I'm going to just let you up and leave. Every relationship hits a few bumps, we're just getting ours earlier than the rest," she said walking toward him quickly. As she neared him her fingers traveled up the cotton shirt he was wearing until they were wrapped around his neck. She reached up and brushed her lips against his and he sighed at the feeling of her proximity. He leaned in slowly, enveloping her mouth in a searing kiss. Serena felt as though she was floating when she was in his arms. Her fingers slid through his silky black hair, just as his hands gripped at her waist.

Their kiss quickly intensified as their tongues danced together in furious movements and instinctively Darien founds his hands roaming across her body. She moaned in pleasure and surprise when one of his hands gripped her ass before traveling up to her stomach and inching under shirt. He waited for some sort of movement signaling that she didn't like it, but her kisses urged him on and quickly he found his hand cupping her ample breasts. He groaned loudly before breaking the kiss and letting his lips travel down to her neck. She moaned softly when he sucked at the tender flesh of her skin and urged him on by letting her tongue flick across his ear, which Darien responded to by swearing.

His fingers found the inside of her bra and he gently flicked her swollen nipple causing an explosion of pleasure to surge through Serena. She cried out loudly and Darien realized he only wanted to hear her make that sound for him for the rest of his life. Knowing that this was moving a bit too fast, he relinquished his release on her breasts before bringing his hands to her face and kissing her lips with a passionate gentleness that almost sent Serena over the edge. Their coupling over, he rested his forehead against hers as they rocked to the beat of a melody that only they could hear.

"Thank you," he said, looking into her eyes.

"For what?" she asked, smiling broadly.

"For saving me from making the biggest mistake of my life," he said, kissing the bridge of her nose. She chuckled softly in response.

"As much as I hate to end this love fest, I think I should go and talk to Raye," she said, interlocking her fingers with his.

He sighed. "Maybe you're right. I'll go with you," said Darien, releasing her completely.

"No, you don't have to," said Serena abruptly.

"I know, but I want to," said Darien, reaching out and caressing her face. "You and I are in this together, you shouldn't have to do this alone."

"Thanks," she said.

He smiled at her before grabbing his keys and following her out the door to a meeting neither of them wanted to attend.

I

I

"It's past midnight," said Raye as she opened the door to find a solemn looking Darien staring down at her. She blushed heavily. "Oh, hi Darien." Slowly Serena peaked around at Raye from behind her boyfriend. "Oh, it's you."

"Hi Raye," said Serena sheepishly.

"Can we…come in?" asked Darien.

"If you're here to double team me then no. I guess I'm the only one that isn't a part of your fan club," said Raye, gesturing for them to enter her bedroom.

"What do you mean?" asked Serena, as she and Darien entered.

"Apparently _our _friends thought I overreacted," she said plopping down onto one of the couches in her bedroom.

"They did?" asked Serena surprised as she and Darien exchanged glances. "I thought they were mad at me."

"They are," said Raye. Serena looked crestfallen.

"Oh," the blonde replied.

"They're mad at both of us," Raye said dryly. "Look if you're here to justify your relationship then I don't want to hear it."

"Actually, we're both here to apologize," said Darien, sitting down on the couch next to Serena.

"You didn't do anything wrong Darien," said Raye.

"Yes, I did Raye. I knew how you felt about…me and I never told you that I didn't feel the same. I never meant to lead you on or let you think you and I would have ended up together. I should have told you how I felt, maybe if I did, this wouldn't have happened."

Raye smiled sadly. Even when he was rejecting her he managed to be gorgeous and sincere. "No, this wouldn't have happened if Serena told me the truth from the start," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and reclining in the chair.

Serena sighed. Darien opened his mouth to defend his girlfriend before he felt a firm hand grip his wrist. "No, she's right," said Serena. "That night that I came here, Darien had rejected me and I needed someone to talk to. When you asked me if anything was going on between Darien and I, and I told you nothing, it's because I thought nothing _was_ going on between us. He, in so many words, told me that we couldn't be together. I thought my crush was one-sided Raye, and that he didn't want me. I never imagined that when I went back to his house, that he would have had a change of heart."

"Serena come on, your making yourself sound like the victim here," said Raye, standing up abruptly, trying to quell her anger. "You had to have made some…advances on Darien for him to have told you no. That night I didn't ask you if you two were a couple, I asked you if anything happened between the two of you!"

"I know, I just…"

"That's right Serena you can't justify what you did. God I don't even know that if I asked what happened between the two of you, that you would tell me the truth even now," said Raye.

"Of course I would," said Serena. "Keeping secrets has gotten me into enough trouble."

"Fine, before you came to my house had you kissed Darien?" asked Raye, her heart pounding hard in her chest.

Serena looked to Darien who had an unreadable expression on his face. "Yes," she said after a moments pause.

Raye stared at the two of them who were sitting in her bedroom looking incredibly guilty. Despite her anger, she began to laugh. "Wow, you actually told the truth," said Raye through a fit of giggles. Serena almost began to laugh with her when her expression suddenly turned icy again. "Get out."

"What?" asked Serena, not sure whether she heard Raye correctly.

"You heard me!" cried Raye. "GET OUT!"

"Raye-"

"Don't _Raye _me! I can't believe you…It's like I don't even know you anymore. You came here trying to rationalize your actions and then I come to find out that you betrayed me more than once! I loved him," she screamed, her dark brown eyes overflowing with tears of embarrassment, anger and regret.

Serena was utterly shocked at her statement. She didn't know Raye loved Darien. How was that possible? She never even talked to him! You can't love someone you don't know. Can you? "I SAID GET OUT!" cried Raye. Forcefully she grabbed both Darien and Serena by the arms and ushered them out of her bedroom. "Stay away from me…both of you." With a loud crash her door slammed and Serena and Darien stood in utter shock and silence as they listened as she cried tears of anguish in her bedroom.

"Serena," said Darien gently, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Baby, let's go home." She nodded in agreement as she felt Darien's strong arm encircle her waist before they walked slowly to his car waiting far off in the distance.

Raye collapsed onto her bed before she began to pound on the pillows. She couldn't believe what was happening. Of all people, Serena, her friend who had always been there for her, when her mother died, when her dad walked out, her best friend who had betrayed her. She wanted to forgive her, but for the rest of the time Serena and Darien were together, she would have to face the rejection, the shame and the revelation that he wasn't at all interested in her. She wanted to scream, to cry out, to break things, but she settled for sobbing quietly until she heard a pair of footsteps approach her bedroom. The door gently slid open, and she found herself staring at a sleepy looking, brunette.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worriedly. "I heard…yelling and…why are you crying?"

"Go away, Chad."

Chad had often found himself bearing the brunt of her mood swings, of her rudeness and the overall mayhem that her stubbornness caused, but he found that despite the way she treated him, he couldn't leave her side. He entered slowly, knowing full well that Raye was prone to throw things when she was angry. When she didn't reach for anything to toss at him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly he closed the door behind him. She looked up at him solemnly when he sat next to her on the bed. Eliminating every reservation she had over being close to Chad she let herself fall into his open arms and hold her, letting her tears fall freely as he held her through the night, his sweet murmurings burning away some of the sadness she was feeling. He held her until she slept, and late into the night he found himself dozing off quietly next to her.

I

I

Both he and Serena remained quiet as they traveled down the deserted streets of the Juuban district. Darien had been trying to figure out what Serena was feeling at the moment by studying her facial expression at every chance he got. She was neither sad nor angry looking, instead some form of robotic stoicism had overtaken her and she seemed indifferent about the situation. In her mind, she had relinquished to be emotional tomorrow. She was tired of crying. This week had been both the best and worst of her life. Worse than when she started her period in front of all of her friends, worse than when she threw up on her teacher in class, worse than anything that had happened in her short life. Albeit, she had felt things this week that she never thought she would experience, at least not so young. She couldn't help but glance at Darien as he drove, a serious expression on his face. She wondered what he was thinking. Her curiosity diminishing as the moments passed, she reveled in the silence of the night, afraid of what the morning would bring.

They arrived at his apartment in record time, and as soon as Serena entered, she threw her purse onto the couch and collapsed there, reasoning to herself that retiring to the life of a couch potato might not be such a bad idea right now. If she did become a hermit, she would certainly encounter less drama in her life. Darien walked over toward her and set beside her, looking at her somberly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, after a pause.

"I am actually," she said, surprised at herself. "I can't change what happened, and I'm not going to blame myself either. I don't regret what happened today or that you and I are together and I'm not going to beat myself up over Raye. Believe it or not she's done some really fucked up things to me too, things that I forgave her for. Now it's her turn to exercise a little redemption."

Darien smiled at her. "Come here," he said, grabbing her by the waist and sitting her in his lap. He buried his head into the cascade of hair that covered her back before planting several soft kisses on her neck. "This isn't over, you know."

"I know," she said sighing. "We could make a game out of this. Who _doesn't_ want us to be together?" He chuckled. "I'm sure my parents won't be too thrilled."

Darien grimaced. "Serena-"

"Don't try to be the sacrificial lamb Darien, that's not what I need right now," she said getting off his lap just to turn toward him and straddle him. "We are not breaking up."

"You have a lot more to lose in this than I do," he said, kissing her chin.

"I know," said Serena. "We're still not breaking up."

"If you ever feel like you're overwhelmed, maybe you should let me go."

"Are you kidding? It feels like it took me forever to find you. And I'm not ready to let you go. Not now, not ever," she said honestly. Slowly she leaned in and kissed his forehead, before letting her lips travel down to his eyelids, his cheek, and the bridge of his nose. He sighed in contentment; he had honestly never been happier in his life than he was at this very moment, even with every thing that had happened between the two of them. He wanted nothing more than to run off with her, away from Tokyo, away from the world, but he knew that would only bring more pain once they returned. She was right; there was no way he could let her go, even if he tried.

He cupped her face softly before enveloping her lips in his, the taste of the strawberry gloss she wore added to the delectability of their coupling. Her fingers latched onto his neck and dug into the roots of his hair, her fingers tickling his scalp. She moaned when he tightened his grip around her waist and instinctively she ground her hips into him, stimulating the hard mound quickly forming in his pants. He needed to slow things down between them. He wanted her, of course he did, but not tonight, not so soon, and not when she was emotional. It would have to wait, no matter how much both of them wanted it.

He broke the kiss gently, before picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom and laying her on his bed. She smiled as he went to his closet and reached for a plain, white shirt for her to sleep in. Quietly he stepped into the bathroom, allowing her the time to change and to get himself situated for bed. When he exited, he found her lying on her stomach, her legs in the air and her head resting on her hands. He leaned against the doorway and smiled broadly.

"What?" she asked, her hair forming a messy white quilt against the dark bed sheets.

"God, you're so beautiful," he said, walking toward her and climbing into bed beside her. "Come here you." She laughed loudly as he pulled her onto to him so that her arms were wrapped around his torso and that her head was resting against his bare chest.

"Promise me you won't worry?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"I promise," she said honestly. "The only thing I want to think about is you."

"Ditto," he replied, before wrapping the sheets around them, turning off the light, and thinking about how absolutely perfect his life was with her. For the first time in his life, Darien Chiba was falling in love.


	11. Chapter 10

Ramifications

Chapter 10

A/N: I know it's been forever. But I've been so busy. School just started, I'm working a different job, studying for my GRE's and applying to grad school. I'll try and update as often as I can. Oh by the way, I hope the yen conversion is right. I had a conversion calculator do it. If you're curious, the amount is about 1000 US dollars. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

I

I

Serena giggled as Darien tossed a pillow at her face before blowing an air kiss to him. "Don't be mad because I won," she said between bouts of laughter.

"I'm not mad because you won, I'm mad because you cheated!" he said playfully, throwing the Playstation controller down in mock anger.

"I _did not_ cheat!"

"_Oh go easy on me Darien, I've never played this before_," he said in a high pitched, mocking tone.

"I haven't played this before," she said, grinning. "Well I haven't played the Playstation version. Different consoles have different game features, so it's almost like playing a different game."

"Sure it is, you cheater!" he said, walking toward her. Quickly she hopped from the couch and ran away from him, the button down shirt she was wearing rising as she sprinted. In pursuit of her, Darien couldn't help but admire her legs.

"I'm just shocked that you own a Playstation, being the old fart that you are!"

"Old fart, huh?" he said lunging at her and missing as she ran around the couch to the opposite side of the living room. "I'll have you know that I'm extremely virile!"

"Oh yea?" she asked mischievously. "Prove it."

"Stop running and I will," he said, walking toward her slowly as she ran into the kitchen.

"Oh no, I'm not going to make it easy on you," she said, waving her finger. "You have to catch me first. And I'm pretty quick."

"Yea, well Ms. Tsukino, it looks like you've backed yourself into a corner. If I didn't know better, I would think that you wanted to be caught," he said, as she backed toward the refrigerator door, her back colliding with the cold steel.

"Maybe a little," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I have a devastatingly handsome boyfriend after all. I wouldn't mind being his prisoner."

"Remind me of that one day," he said, pulling her close to him and closing the gap between them. He kissed her gently, his tongue dancing with hers as their lips melted together.

Despite the rocky first week they had together, the last week and a half had passed with little catastrophic happenings occurring in their lives. True, Raye and Serena still weren't speaking and she had barely spoken to her friends, but other than that, there had been no more disasters and no attempted assaults. It had just been her and Darien, going out, staying in and spending every waking moment together.

The ringing of her cell phone jolted them from their kiss and Serena quickly answered it.

"Hello?" she asked, laughing as Darien grabbed her from behind and began planting soft kisses across her neck.

"_Serena?" asked the voice of a man._

"Daddy?" she asked, surprised. Darien quickly let go of her.

"_Hi honey, you sound out of breath, is everything alright?"_

"Y-yea, I just was rushing to pick up the phone. I haven't heard from you guys in a couple of days. How's it going?"

"_Well, good news, your grandparents are much better, which means your mother and I will be coming home soon."_

Serena grimaced at Darien as he stood and watched her speak. "That's…that's great. So how soon will you becoming back?"

"_Well our flight leaves in two days, so we'll see you really soon."_

"Two days?" she said sadly.

"_Yea, are you sure you're alright? Nothing bad has happened right?"_

"No, no I'm fine, just shocked that's all. It's just really soon."

"_I know, we wanted to get back to see our little girl as soon as possible."_

"Yea, I can't wait to see you guys too," she said grimly.

"_Good, well just a few more days then. I'll see you soon. I love you, gumdrop."_

"I love you too, daddy. Bye." Silently she put away her cell phone before looking at Darien's grim expression. Immediately she flung herself into his arms and began sobbing into his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, rubbing her back soothingly. He had heard everything her father said and knew that she would be leaving him soon.

"I don't want to leave you," she said, letting her forehead rest on his chest.

"I know," he said sadly. "I don't want you to go either."

He held her quietly, stroking her lower back and planting kisses on the top of her head. "Don't worry, sweetie, just because your parents are coming home doesn't mean that anything between us will change. We just…won't get to see each other as much," he said gloomily.

"I'm going to miss waking up with you everyday," she said, looking up at him, her blue eyes shinning with tears.

"Me too, love," he said, kissing her forehead. "But look at it this way, you'll be leaving for university soon, and then you can see me whenever you want."

"But that's so long from now," she whined, upturning her lips into a sexy pout.

"I know, we'll get through it, I promise," he said. "Nothing is going to come between us."

I

I

Serena sighed contentedly as his fingertips grazed her face. It was two in the afternoon and her parents would be there to pick her up any minute now. She snuggled into his chest as they lay on the couch, the steady beat of his heart a loud reminder of how much she treasured her time with him. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words to express how she felt. She wanted to tell him that she loved his face, his lips, his hands, his laugh—everything about him. She wanted to tell him that she had fallen so deeply in love with him that she couldn't imagine her life without him by her side.

Darien groaned inwardly. Every since he found out that she was leaving him he had been feeling physically ill. His chest hurt, and he seemed to be constantly nauseous, and as the hours crept by the amount of anxiety he was feeling was almost unbearable. In reality he wasn't sure how things were going to work out between them. He was almost certain her parents wouldn't approve of his relationship with their barely legal eighteen year old daughter. What would he do if they prohibited their relationship? He laughed sourly at the thought. He'd pick her up and marry her, that's what he'd do! He promised her that nothing would ever keep them apart and that was one promise he intended to keep.

"I don't like this," he said quietly.

She laughed softly. "Neither do I," she said, getting up so that she was sitting next to him on the couch. "I just want to tell them…I just…I want to stay with you."

"I don't want you to leave me either, but I don't think they'll go for their daughter living permanently with someone they barely know, especially because I'm so much older than you."

"Age doesn't matter," she mumbled. Darien nodded in agreement. "My dad is five years older than my mom."

Darien chuckled at the potential irony. Her parents not approving would almost be comical, considering their situation. "Well, maybe they'll be more understanding," Darien reasoned, not believing that possibility himself. Serena grunted. He looked up at her and smiled. She looked positively grim. Somehow, she managed to be incredibly adorable when she was angry, pouting and contemplative.

"Look, we'll worry about it when it comes," said Darien. "They might be okay with us, and we might be blowing this way out of proportion."

"I know," she said, looking up at him and smiling, her cerulean eyes shining. "Anyway I don't want to spend our last hours together talking about my parents."

"Our last hours? You make it sound like we're heading for the gallows," said Darien pulling her close.

"Semantics," she mumbled as she leaned in for a kiss just as the doorbell of Darien's apartment began to ring shrilly in their ears. They both sighed.

"Showtime," she said, standing up and walking with Darien toward the door.

Darien quickly looked through the peep hole and confirmed that it was Serena's anxious looking parents. With a painful gulp, he grasped the handle and yanked it open.

"SERENA!" cried her mother, her eyes shining with tears as she ran past Darien and enveloped her wide-eyed daughter in a painfully tight hug.

"Irene," said Ken, in almost winy voice, "don't hug so tight, she can't breathe." Serena's father immediately turned his attention to the young man standing uncomfortably in front of him. "Darien?"

"Yes, sir. Please come in."

"Thanks," he said, walking into Darien's apartment just as the young man closed the door behind him. "We can't stay too long; Sammy's pouting in the car." Darien nodded. "I just… wanted to thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"It wasn't a problem," said Darien honestly.

"I know she can be a bit of a handful," said Ken with a whimsical expression on his face before elbowing Darien knowingly in the ribs.

"She's not that bad," she said Darien blushing.

"I bet she cleaned out your fridge, huh? That girl can eat," said Ken with a hearty laugh.

"Yea, she can," agreed Darien, realizing that he went to the grocery store more often with Serena around. He honestly didn't mind at all.

"Well here," said Ken, pulling out a check from his pocket. "For your trouble."

Darien took the piece of paper and realized that Ken had written him a check for 120000 yen. "This really isn't necessary, Mr. Tsukino."

"Please accept this Darien. I know she wasn't here long, but you turned your whole schedule upside down to take care of our daughter. We really appreciate everything that you've done," Ken said honestly.

Darien vehemently tried to give Ken back the money, but Serena's father was adamant about him taking the check. In the end Darien pocketed the money before his attention was drawn to Serena and her infectious laugh. She was talking to her mother and smiling that amazing smile that could make his heart melt in an instant.

"Darien," said Irene, as she walked toward the raven haired man. "Thank you so much for looking after my baby. I really appreciate it. You do realize that you're a part of our family now? We'll be expecting you over for dinner some time this week."

Darien blushed furiously and nodded. Irene leaned in and hugged Darien gently before grabbing one of Serena's bags. Ken followed suit before waving goodbye to Darien.

"I'll be down in a minute," Serena said. Her parents nodded as they walked down the hall. She waited until she heard the sound of their retreating footsteps. When she did she immediately ran into Darien's arms. He enveloped her in a hug and pulled her tightly to him, crushing her mouth in a searing kiss. His thumbs brushed against her cheeks as his mouth wrestled with hers in a display of passion. He never wanted to let her go. For minutes he held her in his arms, staring into her eyes, .

"I made you a promise," he said, looking into her eyes. "Nothing is going to change. I don't care what happens. I'll kidnap and take you away from here, if that's what it takes. Serena…I love you."

She smiled brightly before burying her head in his neck. "Oh Darien, I love you too," she said looking up at him before she began furiously planting kisses all over his face as Darien laughed. "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

"As much as I love this and you, I think you'd better get going before your parents storm in here."

" I know, I'll call you when I get home," she said exiting.

"You'd better," he said, tapping her gently on the behind.

"I love you," she said, standing in his doorway.

Darien smiled, kissing her cheek and watching sadly as she ran down the hall to meet her waiting parents.


	12. Chapter 11

Ramifications

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

A/N: I know it's been forever and I do apologize, but I just finished applying to Graduate School and I'm also still in college so I've been so busy and stressed. I hope you all are still interested in this story. Please review and let me know whether or not you want me to continue and if you do, I'll be sure to update bi-monthly at the least! Happy reading.

I

I

"I hate this," said Serena resting her head against Darien's chest as she sighed deeply.

"What? Being here with me?" asked Darien.

"No," she said, "I hate all of this sneaking around. It makes me feel like a criminal."

"I know, I'm sorry I have you lying to your parents, but I miss you. I hate not having you with me all the time anymore."

"I don't blame you, Darien," said Serena. "I just don't understand why my parents have to be such Nazis about me dating anyone. My dad anyway, I think my mom wants me to have a boyfriend."

"Have you tried telling them about us?" asked Mamoru, leaning back further against the leather headrest of his red Porsche.

"Are you crazy?" cried Serena, sitting up straight and staring at him with utter disbelief. "I like you alive too much to tell my parents that you're my boyfriend."

Darien chuckled. "We can't do this forever, Serena. Eventually your parents are either going to find out or someone's going to tell them. Secrets don't stay secret forever."

"I know," she said quietly. "I just can't imagine my life without you in it and I know they'll make me stop seeing you." She reached and touched his face and almost swore that there was a slight blush to his cheeks. "I love you."

"I know, sweetie. I love you, too, we'll get through this, I promise," said Darien, leaning in and kissing her sweetly. He sighed when they broke apart. "I think I should take you home, it's almost three in the morning."

Serena grimaced. "I guess you should."

I

I

Quietly Serena climbed over the ledge and tip-toed across the balcony that led to her bedroom before sliding open the glass doors and closing them quietly behind her. Immediately the dark bedroom was flooded with a brilliant light as her parents switched on the electricity. Quickly she found herself face to face with her very angry mother and father.

"Where have you been?" cried Ken as Irene grabbed him by the arm to calm him down. He took a few deep breaths before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Serena," began Irene in a gentle tone, "where did you go?"

"Nowhere," lied Serena quietly.

"Well, you sure weren't in your bed young lady, now stop lying," said Ken sharply.

"But I didn't go anywhere," said Serena, "I was sitting outside on the balcony." She remembered that Sammy would sometimes hide on the balcony behind the thick curtains and jump out to scare her. She would never know he was out there until he pounced and attacked.

Slowly her dad began to sputter heavily before her mother let out a brief sigh. "Thank God," said Ken, running to his daughter and scooping her into his arms. "We were so worried. Your mother came in here to check in on you and you weren't here and we thought that man came back."

Serena's throat dropped into her stomach. She had almost forgotten about _him_, her thoughts of Darien took up most of her energy. She hadn't meant to worry her parents. Her father was gripping her tightly and her mother looked as though she were on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry," she said honestly.

"Oh, it's okay honey," said her dad. "I know with what happened you might have wanted to be alone, just let us know what's going on first, okay?"

Serena nodded. Ken let her go before kissing her on the head and saying goodnight. Serena expected the same response from her mother, but was surprised when Irene closed her daughter's bedroom door and sat on the bed, leaving an open space for Serena to sit beside her.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, and I want the truth," said Irene. "Where did you really go? And don't you lie to me."

She debated whether or not to lie again, but the stern look on her mother's face advised her against it. "I just…went out for a walk mom," said Serena, leaning against the window and staring out the ground.

"At three in the morning? I don't believe you," said Irene.

Technically, Serena wasn't lying. Among other things, Darien and Serena had gone for a walk on the beach. "I'm telling the truth."

"Okay, and were you alone?" asked Irene. Serena hesitated and her mother knew that she was about to lie again. "The truth, Serena."

"No."

"That's what I thought," said Irene, frowning.

"Who is this person that you can't tell you father and me about him? Is he a hoodlum? Is he into drugs? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing's wrong with him," she said quietly. "He's none of those things mother."

"So why are you hiding him from us?"

"Why do you think? If dad as much as gets a whiff of the scent of a boy he goes absolutely nuts."

Irene chuckled. "I can control your father Serena," she said waving her hands dismissively. "One thing you'll learn when you get married is that the woman really does rule the house. Now tell me who this boy is." To Serena's surprise, her mother was smiling. "I think I have an idea who."

Serena smirked. "It's Darien," she mumbled, waiting for Irene to start yelling. Instead, when she looked up to see her response, she met the sparkling eyes of her mother.

"I knew it," she squealed. "He's so handsome Serena and such a nice young man. Oh honey, my baby has a boyfriend. He is your boyfriend, right?"

"Yes." Serena was shocked by her mother's response. She seemed delighted that Serena and Darien were together and not the other way around.

"Thank heaven! I was starting to worry that you were…" she said, trailing off and grabbing her daughter and squeezing her in a big hug.

"Worried that I was what?" asked Serena, struggling for breath as her mother's tight embrace suffocated her.

"Nothing," said Irene. "Now listen." She released Serena and looked at her pointedly. "No more sneaking off at night with him. That's dangerous. Your father works until six almost everyday; just go out with him then. But let me know first."

"Aren't you going to tell dad?" asked Serena.

"And give your father a heart attack?" said Irene. "Heaven's no. What's the point of having a teenage daughter if you can't keep secrets with her?" Serena smiled broadly before hugging her mother tightly. "But Serena, do be careful with your heart. He's much older than you and he might expect…things-"

"I know mom," said Serena, holding up her hands in an attempt to stop her mother from giving her a sex talk. "I'll be okay. Darien's not like that."

"I know sweetie," said Irene. "He's a very sweet boy, when the time is right you bring him by for dinner, okay?"

"Okay mom," she said.

"And one more thing," her mother said sternly, "call him and tell him no more picking you up this late in that expensive car of his."

Serena laughed as she picked up the phone. "Will do."

"Goodnight, baby," said Irene, kissing Serena on the forehead and exiting the room quietly.

She said goodnight to her mother before collapsing onto her bed and dialing Darien's cell phone number.

"Hello?" he asked, sounding a bit drowsy.

"It's me, Serena."

His voice immediately perked up. "Hi meatball," he said fondly.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Guess what happened when I got home?"

"What?" he said pensively.

"I got caught sneaking in!" Serena cried happily.

"You what?" yelled Darien. "Are you in trouble? I'm so sorry, baby."

"Don't have a cow, babe," said Serena, rolling onto her stomach and pulling off her socks. "My dad freaked out and I lied and he bought it, but my mom knew that I was lying and-"

"Are you delirious or something? You don't even sound upset! What did they do to you? Should I come over?"

Serena laughed. "Let me finish the story. Anyway, my mom knew I was sneaking out with you. But she's okay with it. For some strange reason, she likes you."

Darien chuckled. "What can I say? I'm charming."

"Right," said Serena, jokingly. "Well, she's happy I have a boyfriend and she said I could go out with you anytime that my dad wasn't home."

"She said that?" asked Darien in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"What about your dad?" he asked.

"She said she'd handle him and something about women ruling the house."

Darien chuckled loudly. "So I've heard."

"You have."

"I've got married friends," said Darien dryly.

"Put you off the idea of marriage, much?"

"Nope, at least not when it comes to you."

Serena blushed profusely. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll call you tomorrow," said Darien.

"Bye." Serena hung up the phone and grinned ear to ear before settling herself under the blanket and falling into a dreamless sleep.

I

I

Darien watched happily as Serena sipped on her vanilla milkshake. It was nice to be out in the daytime for once. He was starting to feel like a vampire. They were both a lot paler due to the lack of sun they had seen.

"What?" asked Serena when she realized that he was staring at her with a strange look on his face.

"Nothing," said Darien shaking himself out of his reverie. "It's just nice to see you in the daylight, that's all."

"Tell me about it."

"What do you want to do today?" he asked grabbing her shake and taking a sip. She looked so cute drinking it that he couldn't resist a taste.

"Hey!" Serena protested.

"This is good, I should order this."

"Yeah," she said, snatching the shake from him. "And not your stuffy old ginger ales. Next thing I know you'll be ordering prune juice cocktails."

"This coming from the girl who's old enough to order off the kids menu," said Darien to which Serena responded to by sticking her tongue at him. "Cute."

"What do you want to do today?" asked Serena.

"I don't know, you?"

"Want to mini golf or something. It's a nice day."

"Every day is nice when I'm with you."

"Aww, you just want more of my drink don't you?" asked Serena.

"You know me too well," he said, capturing the drink and sipping it once more.

Serena was just about to ask Darien which miniature golf place he wanted to go when Raye and Mina walked into the Crown Arcade.

"Well look who it is," Raye mumbled to Mina, who rolled her eyes.

"Don't start anything Raye," said her blonde friend before grabbing her arm and dragging her away from Darien and Serena's table.

"Maybe we'd better go," said Serena to Darien.

He looked longingly at the unfinished shake and then to his nervous looking girlfriend. Quickly he stood up with her all the while trying to polish off the drink. Serena stared at him in humor and disbelief.

"Come on pig," she said, "I'll buy you another one the next time we're here."

"Okay," said Darien clutching his head and groaning.

"Are you okay?"

"I drunk too fast," he said.

"You gave yourself a brain freeze? And you're supposed to be the mature one," she said, kissing his cheek as they headed toward the door.

"Mina and I are leaving, Serena, no need to break up your date," said Raye spitefully from behind.

"Hi Serena," said Mina, trying to smooth things over. "How are you doing?"

Before she could answer Raye interrupted. "Look who she's with. She's fine!"

"Raye," began Serena calmly as she turned to face her raven haired friend. "I was hoping that you and I could work this out."

"Well we can't," said Raye, sweeping past her and storming out of the door.

"She's never going to let this go, is she?" asked Serena as Darien wrapped his arms around her.

He sighed. "No, I don't think she is."


	13. Chapter 12

Ramifications

Chapter 12

A/N: And you thought the stalker was gone….

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Rating: M (violence, language and sexual situations)

I

I

He twirled the cigarette between his fingers, the black tar from his hands staining the white paper that held the smoking tobacco in place. He had been waiting outside of her house for what seemed like hours and still the young blonde hadn't come out. He remembered how Jim used to talk about her, to dream about her, to call out her name at night. She didn't understand what she meant to him. The man shrugged and sighed, he owed Jim this, soon he would make things right.

Rubbing a hand through his greasy shoulder length hair he rested his head against the white stucco wall. Checking the time on the cracked watch on his right wrist, he realized that it was almost sundown; the little whore should have come out of the house by now. He had been watching her for the last two weeks, frolicking around with that new boyfriend she had. Wait until Jim found out about that Darien kid; he'll be pissed. It didn't matter, soon his friend would be out of prison and how surprised will he be when he notices that Serena is at his home waiting for him. The man chuckled, his yellow teeth reflecting against the dimming sunlight. He continued with his musings until he heard the front door of her house lurch open. His eyes widened and he desperately hoped that his little princess would be coming out to play soon.

The smile that formed quickly dropped and he scowled as Irene walked down the short pathway to the mailbox. The man watched appreciatively as her hips swayed as she moved; no wonder Serena was so beautiful. Too bad Jim had a thing for younger women. Again he shrugged and leaned back against the wall, waiting for the object of his desire to finally exit the house.

Suddenly a red car pulled up in the drive way, and the man couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Right on cue, her boyfriend showed up. That was all he needed, to be caught by this hulk of a man and charged with stalking, then neither him nor his friend will get to enjoy her company. He watched in disgust as Darien strolled leisurely down the walkway, his hands buried deeply in his pockets, the image of the sun reflecting off of the designer glasses he was sporting.

Darien greeted Irene with a hug. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he did notice that Darien turned a deep shade of red after she hugged him. Pussy. She invited the young man inside, and the hunter could hear the sound of Serena laughing along with Darien and Irene. He felt like an outsider. He wanted desperately to be a part of her world. His hands were perspiring and his shoulders were trembling with anticipation. He would have her soon enough and he would keep her, until Jim could taste her too.

"What do you want to do today?" asked Serena, peering through the curtains, surveying the side of the house. She had been feeling rather fearful all day, as if something wasn't right around her. Darien crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Whatever you want," he said, his breath tickling the curves of her ears. She tensed up as she continued to stare outside and Darien became worried. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

She turned to face him, her blonde hair following her movements like a silk curtain blown by the wind. "I…this is crazy…"

"Serena," began Darien, his voice stern. She seemed preoccupied and scared. Slowly, he grabbed her hands and brought them to his lips. He planted a gentle kiss on her palm, waiting for her to continue.

"It's just…all day I've been feeling like someone was watching me, waiting for me. I'm a little scared, that's all."

Darien immediately pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat like an up tempo melody in her ears. Darien heard her sigh as several possibilities filled his mind. What if that man had broken out of jail and they didn't know? He quickly shook the thoughts from his head. He would have known. He had been watching the news every night just to know what was happening with Serena's attacker, and so far there weren't any out of the ordinary reports.

"Do you think I'm going crazy?" asked Serena, her voice small.

"No, meatball, of course not," he replied soothingly, resting his head on the top of her hair. "It's just…Maybe we should stay here for the night."

"Why?" she asked, moving her said so that she could see his face.

"You should always trust your instincts and if something feels off then, maybe we should be as safe as we can and keep you inside."

"But Darien you came all the way over here and-"

"I'd come from anywhere just to see you. We don't have to do anything, Serena. As long as you're safe and in my arms, that's all that matters."

Serena grinned broadly, nuzzling herself against Darien's chest. Try as she might to drive the feelings away, she still felt that someone was out there, waiting to hurt her and everyone that she loved.

"Maybe that's a good idea," she said, grabbing Darien's hand and leading him to the couch. Serena was about to make a suggestion when her mother entered the room with two glasses of lemonade in her hands. Both Serena and Darien thanked Irene before trying to figure out what they would do for the night.

"Why don't you go to Darien's place and rent a movie or something? When your father and I were dating, we used to love watching movies together," said Irene, before winking at Serena. From the corner of his eyes, Darien could see his girlfriend's face turning a bright shade of red and he struggled to stifle a laugh.

"Maybe that's a good idea," he said, nudging Serena in the ribs as she continued to blush quietly.

"I can't believe she actually wants me to go to your apartment," said Serena after her mother left the room.

Darien shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm charming, all parents like me."

Serena grimaced. "How many parents have you wooed with your good looks and impeccable style?" she asked in a playful tone.

"Far too many to count babe," said Darien smoothing out his hair and offering Serena a dazzling smile.

"Really," she said, her eyebrows knitting together in mock jealousy. "What are these girls' names so I can kill them?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because if I tell you and you kill them, I'll have to send you to jail and since I'm very much in love with you, I don't think I'd survive without being able to see you everyday."

"Nice way to get yourself out of the dog house."

"Was I ever in the dog house?" asked Darien, leaning in closer to her. She could feel his breath against her lips and she sighed.

"I guess not," she said, closing the space between them and planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"So, movie then?" he asked, getting off the couch and offering her his hand.

"Sounds like a plan," Serena said, taking his hand and following him to the front door. After muttering embarrassed goodbyes to her mother, Serena and Darien exited through the front door and walked to his car.

Immediately, the hidden man awoke from his light slumber after hearing the revving of a car engine. He watched through hollow eyes as Darien and Serena exchanged kisses, partially hidden beneath the shadow of the car's interior. He frowned. She'd definitely have to he punished for that. Neither he nor Jim would tolerate infidelity, especially not from a woman. Agitatedly, he tapped his fingers against his filthy sleeves, his patience wearing thin. He was tired of waiting. He needed to see Serena, to touch her, to smell her. He needed her tonight.

I

I

Pulling out a heavy rag the man watched as the two of them traipse hand in hand to Darien's apartment. They were so wrapped in each other that neither Darien nor Serena had realized that they were being followed. He promised to teach her to be more careful once they had gotten the chance to spend some alone time together. He couldn't have his future play thing being followed by people with bad intentions. He snickered quietly. He grimaced when she chuckled and backed into a corner just as she threw her arms around Darien's neck. Finally, they entered his apartment, and with the soft click of the door ventured inside; outside he waited.

"I'm hungry Darien," Serena said, her stomach rumbling gingerly.

"Why am I not surprised?" he asked playfully. She grimaced. "I'm only joking. What do you want to eat?"

"I don't know. How about some Thai food?"

"Sounds good to me," he said, walking to the counter and picking up a small discolored pamphlet. "What do you want from there?"

"Surprise me," she said, resting against Darien's couch, her eyes closing as she relaxed on the soft, pliable cushion. He smirked at his girlfriend before picking up the cordless phone and making the order.

"They won't come up to the apartment," said Darien, "I'll have to go down and get once it comes."

"Why not?"

"Safety issue, I guess. It's probably not good to show at a stranger's door. Anything could happen."

Serena shrugged. "Come sit by me."

Darien smiled at the mischievous expression on her face. "Want to watch something in the mean time?" he asked, walking toward her.

"Nope," said Serena, tucking her hair behind her ears and patting the space next to her. "But I can think of something to pass the time."

Serena roughly pulled Darien onto the couch and pressed him into the cushions as she hovered over him. Carefully, she drew light circles across his chest and noticed his nipples hardening through the attractive shirt he was wearing.

"I love you," he said before her mouth descended upon his, filling his mind with vivid colors in variations of darkness, guiding him into a world of bliss wrapped in pleasure. Her hands explored his firm abdomen and he moaned gently as she fondled the waist band of his pants; this girl was going to be the death of him. As his ministrations became more urgent, the distant ringing of the phone brought them both from their ecstatic stupor. Dejected, Serena sat up as Darien sent her an apologetic look and reached for the phone. He heard the faint voice of a woman and realized that his food had finally arrived.

Quickly he reached for his wallet and pecked Serena on the cheek. "I'll be back," he said.

"I'll come with you," said Serena, getting up and smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed on her clothing.

Darien chuckled. "You don't have to," he said, walking toward the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

"I love you," she said, grinning as he winked at her.

"I know," he said, before exiting and closing the door behind him.

Around the corner the watcher could see the man named Darien exit, his stride proud and confident. He hated him. Waiting until Darien exited through the elevator, the older man decided that it was time to make his move. Serena would finally be his tonight after waiting so long; nothing could stop him. Slowly he walked down the hallway before arriving in front of Darien's apartment. The brightly lit corridor made it easy for him to pick the lock on the door. The door creaked open gently as he entered the room and saw his prize sprawled on the couch, her head resting against the pillow, her eyes closed. It was almost as though she were waiting for him. He smiled hungrily. She was so beautiful; the moon light was bathing her pale skin in its warmth. She seemed almost angelic. Quietly he closed the door behind him and Serena barely noticed the sound.

"That was fast," she said, her eyes closed. "I'm so sleepy all of a sudden. That doesn't mean that you can eat all the food, though." She smiled brightly before opening her eyes to realize that she wasn't in the room with Darien. There was a dirty man standing over her with the most disgusting look on his face. Her insides writhed in fear. She opened her mouth to scream when she felt his grubby hands cover her face. She struggled to her feet but the man already had her pinned against him. Muffled shouts were coming behind his hands and the man felt warm liquid tickling his fingertips.

"Oh honey, don't cry, everything is fine," he said, bringing his nose to her neck and breathing in deeply. "You smelled just like Jim said." At his remark Serena began to move violently trying with all her might to free herself from his grasp but the man was too strong for her. "Don't struggle sweetie, I don't want you tired too soon. You have a long night ahead of you."

Her tears were pouring like a rushing river. Her vision was blurry and she was out of the breath. She felt him digging behind her into his pocket and then screamed as a searing pain shot through her neck, traveled down to her toes. She felt paralyzed and suddenly the world stopped moving. She could feel her heart beating painfully in her chest, her limbs were growing weak, her eyelids were so heavy. As her legs gave way she felt his arms tighten around her and she mentally cried out for Darien, for her mother for anybody. And finally as her eyelids fluttered closed, she succumbed to the darkness that was surrounding her and she could hear was his breathing.

Breathing.

Breathing…


	14. Chapter 13

Ramifications

Chapter 13

A/N: I know it's taken forever but my life has been crazy of late.

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

I

I

Darien tucked the bag of greasy food under his arm as he walked briskly toward his apartment door. He smiled to himself as he thought of Serena there waiting for him and mused about how he wouldn't mind coming home to her everyday for the rest of his life. The small grin slowly faded from his face when he reached the door to his apartment and realized that the night latch had been put in place on the other side of the wooden blockade. Why would Serena put the night latch on if she knew he was coming back? He raised his hand as he prepared to knock when the sound of a muffled grunt reached his ears. When he heard the same sound again, he suddenly began to panic.

"Serena," he called quietly before slamming his shoulder into the door. He repeated the movement until the door bent under pressure. He quickly dropped the back of food, its contents spilling onto the floor as the bag tipped over. The faint smell of Pad Thai invaded his nostrils as he stepped back toward the wall, almost tripping over the sticky noodles that were littered across the carpet. With all the strength he could muster, Darien raised his leg and thrust it forcefully against the door close to the knob and sighed with excitement as the wood gave way and splintered before bursting open and slamming against the wall. Darien almost gasped at the sight before him. In his apartment stood a disgustingly dirty man that seemed to be in his forties and his Serena, lying unconscious in his arms.

With the sound of a war cry bursting from his lips, Darien launched himself at the man. Immediately the stranger dropped Serena where he stood and Darien heard the sound of her skull slamming against the wooden coffee table that sat beside his couch. Fury flowed through him as he grabbed the dirty stranger by the collar and threw him into a nearby wall, the mirror shattering into small pieces as Darien ground the man's back into it.

"What the fuck are you doing?" cried Darien, hatred burning within his eyes.

"Taking what belongs to me," said the invader, raising his leg and kneeing Darien in the stomach before pushing him out of the way and grabbing Serena by the hair and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Put her down you son of a bitch!" Darien coughed out, his stomach burning from the blow. He came to his feet and grabbed Serena's limp body from the clutches of the psychopath that was currently terrorizing him. He laid her on the couch before attacking the man again, landing a hard punch across his cheek. The man staggered back and clutched his face before glaring hardly at his opponent.

"You'll pay for that you little punk!" he cried, reaching into his back pocket.

Darien smirked before tackling the man to the ground as he landed punch after punch on his face. He felt warm blood stain his hands. Just as he attempted to grab his attacker by the throat, Darien saw the man's hand appear in front of him with a small type of bottle dangling from his fingertips. He tried to shield his face, yet the stranger was too fast. Immediately, Darien felt the agonizing sting of pepper spray against his face and in his eyes. He instantly fell backwards and cried out as he clutched his face. He was blinded by his own tears. The pain was near unbearable and he felt that soon his sizzling eyes would begin to bleed out of their sockets.

The man took this opportunity to kick Darien in the ribs and toss him to the other side of the room. Darien clutched his face and abdomen as he tried to regain his ability to breathe. He struggled to rise as a searing pain shot through his chest. He had a fleeting thought that this man had bruised his ribs, if not broken them. He raised himself on all fours, and felt the tears from his eyes drip on to the back sides of his hands as he clutched the floor beneath him. He moved one leg to get his balance when he heard heavy footsteps approach him from behind, an intense pain in the back of his head, the sound of shattering porcelain and the image of shards of broken vase littering the floor beside him. He swayed before collapsing onto the ground. His vision blurred as he watched the man scoop Serena into his arms before giving him a toothy grin and walking out of the room. Darien reached to grab her but was met with the emptiness of the air around him. He muttered her name softly as he lay still against the ground before the pain in his skull became too much to bear and he found himself drifting into the grip of unconsciousness.

I

I

Darien heard the distant echo of mumbling and a quiet beeping sound as he slowly woke up. He raised his hands to shield his eyes from the bright lights of the room he was in and immediately realized that he was in a rather uncomfortable bed in a room he had never seen before. As his vision cleared, he noticed that he was in a hospital room. He blinked quickly and tried to sit up just as a wave of dizziness overcame him and he swooned. He felt his back hit the soft mattress and a dull ache in the back of his head and in his stomach. Memories of the night came rushing back to him and he immediately began to call for Serena. He leaned forward again in an attempt to rise from the bed and felt his body shudder from the effort.

The doors to his bedroom suddenly burst open and an elderly doctor, a female nurse and Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino trailing close behind.

"Now Darien, take it easy," said the doctor, his voice soft. He smiled kindly at the boy and pushed him back onto the bed.

"Where is she?" Darien muttered, his movements erratic. He wanted desperately to be freed from this prison of a room, but his body seemed want to disobey him.

The doctor looked to Serena's parents. Darien frowned when he saw Irene burst into tears and drape her arms around her husband's shoulders as she cried loudly. His chest immediately sunk into his stomach. Serena wasn't…she couldn't be…

"The police are searching for her as we speak," said the doctor soothingly. "You, young man, should let them do their job and let me do mine. Now relax!"

Darien glared at the man. How the hell was he supposed to relax? Some crazy man had broken into his apartment, knocked him unconscious and took Serena away from him. Despite the doctor's attempts to pacify him, Darien immediately tried to get up and felt a wave of nausea overcome him before he leaned back against the bed.

"You have a concussion and a few bruised ribs, Mr. Chiba," said the doctor looking irritated. "I'd advise you not to move."

Darien frowned. "Where is she?" he asked again, his tone darker.

"You were the last person with her," said Ken Tsukino as he glared at the young man sitting in the bed. It was the first time he spoke since he found out that his daughter had been kidnapped. Truthfully, it was the first time he had been able to form words since the news. Ken Tsukino had never been more angry or afraid than he was now. His wife and daughter had been lying to him for god knows how long and as a result some man was able to get his hands on his baby girl. "So you tell _me _what happened."

Darien grimaced. He didn't have time to play interrogation with Serena's parents. He had to find her and make sure she was okay. Again he tried to get up but felt his body strain at the movement. He clutched his chest as he immediately began to feel winded. It was even painful to breathe.

"That wasn't a request," said Ken, moving away from his silent wife and walking slowly towards Darien's bed. "What did you do to my daughter?"

Darien scoffed in disbelief. "What did _I_ do?" he cried, his eyes wide. "I tried to save her." His voice was bitter.

"Well you did a fine job," said Ken, crossly.

If this man weren't Serena's father, Darien would have some choice words for him, most of them consisting of fuck you and ass hole.

"Now, now," said the doctor, raising his hands to stop the argument.

"Darien please," said Irene, her voice shaking as she walked toward the young man. She gently placed her hand in his and stared into his eyes. "What happened to my daughter?"

Slowly, Darien recounted the story to all the occupants of the room, including a police officer that had sauntered in a little after the arrival of Serena's parents. His breathing became labored toward the end of the tale as his own anger began to take over. He finished the account with him falling into unconsciousness and Irene immediately began to cry. Ken put a comforting hand on her shoulder as he continued to glare at Darien. The police asked him various questions about the event and after an hour of speaking Darien found himself exhausted.

"That's enough questioning for tonight," said the doctor sternly, looking pointedly at both the Tsukino's and the officer.

"Well that's all the information I need anyway," said the cop, scratching the back of his head. "We'll contact you as soon as we find anything. Meanwhile I think you should alert friends and family members. We'll try to come up with a composite sketch and release both the photos of your daughter and the sketch of the assailant as soon as possible. Try not to worry, the police have been scouring the apartment for clues for about an hour or so, we'll find something that will lead us to your daughter."

Both of Serena's parents nodded in understanding as the officer left the room. "Dr. Aino, will Darien be okay?" Irene asked, her hand still entwined with Darien's.

"We did a CT scan to make sure he didn't have any cerebral swelling and bleeding and luckily he doesn't. But he sustained several serious injuries and we'd like to keep him over night for observation."

"No," said Darien, sitting up in bed. It took all his energy to not fall back onto the mattress. "I want to check myself out."

"I would advise against that Mr. Chiba."

"With all due respect, doctor, it's my fault that Serena got taken tonight," he said, his teeth clenching. "I want to do all I can to help find her."

"I think you've already done enough," said Ken. "Stay away from my daughter."

"Ken!" cried Irene, looking at her husband sharply.

"I mean it," he said, glaring at both Darien and his wife. "You date my little girl behind my back and got her mother to lie to me about it! I don't want you ever to be near my daughter again, young man. I have a pistol and a shovel, don't make me put those to use."

Irene opened her mouth to calm her husband down but he stormed out of the room before she could even speak. She looked to Darien, who looked both furious and shocked. "Darien I…" she couldn't find the words to say. "Maybe you should stay away from Serena, I doubt…I doubt Ken will physically harm you but-"

"Mrs. Tsukino, I love your daughter, more than anything in the world and it's killing me to know she's out there, alone with some maniac. I just want to find her, I just want to make sure she's okay." He paused before looking at the window, his face passive, his eyes dark. "And if…I'll stay away from Serena after that," he said grimly. "I give you my word."

Irene nodded sadly as she released his hand. She could see it in his eyes how much Darien cared for her daughter. It pained her to see him in such a melancholic state, but she really had no choice. Ken was furious with her and if they didn't find Serena…the death of their daughter would be all her fault. Her eyes stung as she tried to hold back tears. As positive as she tried to be, the seriousness of the situation before her was taking its toll on her mood and she found herself being overcome by despair. Darien noticed the sadness in her face but said nothing. He had finally found someone worth loving and she had been taken away from him.

In more ways than one.


	15. Chapter 14

Ramifications

Chapter 14

A/N: I know it's been ages. But I started a new job. I'm an Admissions Counselor for a private University and I have traveling all across the country doing high school visits and college fairs and it's really hard to right on the road. But I'm definitely going to try to update all my stories at least once a month. All the great reviews keep me motivated so keep them coming. By the way, thanks AliThompson for the encouragement!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Rating: M (this chapter is a bit violent so you're forewarned.)

* * *

Her body ached against the soft surface of whatever she was lying on. A steady stream of pain shot through her shoulder as she tugged at her arms that seemed to be stuck in an upright position. Her nostrils were instantly filled with the undeniable smell of blood and urine and she felt herself gagging on the spot. She struggled to open her eyes as another searing pain shot through her skull and she felt herself travel in and out of the realms of consciousness. Each breath was labored and with each rise and fall of her chest Serena could hear the whistling sound that was escaping her lips. Slowly she tried to open her eyes, but her lids were restrained against a silk fabric that skewed her vision and remained tied loosely around her skull. Someone had her blindfolded and had tied her to a bed. This sudden realization, sudden knowledge filled Serena which a sense of fear, such an acute sense of utter dread and revulsion that she could feel the vomit rising from her abdomen and into her throat. She wanted to scream or cry, but knew that this action would immediately alert her captor to her conscious form and she dreaded any contact that he made with her. All she could do now was wait; wait for the dreaded time that he returned to her and wait for her ultimate demise.

* * *

"We got here as soon as we heard," cried Raye as she ran into the private waiting room that Irene and Ken Tuskino were quietly waiting in.

"It's all over the news," said Lita, removing the brown leather jacket she was wearing and tossing it onto an empty chair.

"Tell us what we can do to help," said Mina, taking Irene's hand into her own and attempting to smile encouragingly at the woman, despite her own trepidation.

Irene smiled sadly before looking into the eyes of Serena's friends. "It's nice to know that my daughter is so loved," she said, blinking away the tears that were clouding her vision.

"Girls I don't think there is anything that we can do," said Ken grimly, eyeing Raye as she sat in the corner of the room clutching the white blouse she was wearing and rocking back and forth in her chair. Following his gaze Mina, Lita and Amy also noticed Raye's strange behavior. Soon the room fell into an eerie, gloomy silence.

"I feel like such a jerk," said Raye, looking up to her friends. "She's gone and…"

"What's she talking about?" asked Ken as he looked to his wife. Irene shrugged.

"It all seems so trivial now," Raye muttered, more to herself than anyone else. Lita walked over to her and put a reassuring arm around her.

"You couldn't have known that something like this was going to happen," she said to Raye.

"Doesn't matter. She's my best friend and I…"she put her head in her hands and began to cry loudly.

"What's going on?" asked Irene to Mina and Amy.

"Raye and Serena had a huge fight before she was…before this happened," said Amy.

"Over what?"

Mina and Amy exchanged glances. "Over Darien."

Ken sighed gloomily. "That boy is nothing but trouble. He took advantage of my little girl and my wife."

"That's enough Ken," said Irene, pulling her hand from her husbands hold. "It's enough that you forbade him from being with Serena but don't blame my behavior on him. Last time I checked I was an adult who was able to make good choices without some twenty something kid influencing my actions!"

"Well it's nice to know you were lying to me on your own accord!" yelled Ken his voice escalating as he glared at his wife.

"Don't you raise your voice at me Kenneth Tsukino! I put up with you being so hard on Serena because I know it's out of love. But she is almost eighteen years old and you can't protect her forever!"

"I especially can't protect her when I'm sharing a house with a dishonest wife!"

"Stop this!" cried Amy, raising her hands in the air. Both Irene and Ken looked at her, their eyes narrowed. "With all due respect Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino this isn't helping your daughter. It's unfortunate that all of this happened under the guise of lies but I know that Mrs. Tsukino just wants her daughter to be happy and Mr. Tsukino wants Serena to be safe, and I know that Darien loves Serena despite whatever you think about him. Did you even pay attention to what kind of condition he's in? He's like that because he was trying to protect Serena, because he loves her! And all this fighting and forbidding her from seeing him, it's not helping her now and it's not going to help her when we find her!"

Lita watched proudly as Amy finished her tirade and took a seat next to Raye.

"Amy is right," rumbled a deep voice from the doorway. The inhabitants of the room turned around and saw the hunched form of Darien Chiba as he leaned against the doorway of the room. "Right now we need to be civil around each for Serena's sake, no matter how much we dislike each other." Darien looked pointedly at Ken who rolled his eyes.

"You should be resting Darien," said Amy. "Bruised ribs are way too painful for you to be standing here."

"Trust me, I know. But I can't just lay there in that bed knowing that…knowing that she's out there," said Darien looking away to hide the tears in his eyes. He sniffled quietly and the gesture didn't go unnoticed by Ken Tsukino. Maybe he did care about his daughter as much as everyone said he did.

"I agree with Darien, we need to be positive right now, for Serena," said Ken after a moment.

"I'm going to look for her, if any of you want to join me then you are more than welcome, if not then I'll tell you when I find her," said Darien, turning to leave the room.

"What makes you think you can do any better than the police?" said Ken, flinching at his tone of voice. He looked apologetically at Darien.

"Because I love your daughter, more than I've ever loved anyone else and when the police stop looking because they're tired or they run out of clues I won't stop looking for her. The day that she's gone is the day that I lose myself," said Darien as he left the room.

"Darien," called Ken. The young man turned around to find Ken Tsukino walking toward him. "I'm coming with you."

Immediately Raye stood to her feet. "We all are."

* * *

Serena jerked as she felt something brush against he inner thigh. Her body was shaking with fear when she felt his fingers on her bare legs. She all of a sudden felt a sudden breeze and realized that whatever had been covering her legs had been removed. She remained quiet, despite the panic that was consuming her as she listened to the man hum quietly to himself. Suddenly she felt something being jammed onto her feet and pulled up across her thighs and realized that she being dressed by the singing man. After the clothing on her leg was pulled up to her knees and over her hips she felt him begin to cover her other leg with the soft sheer cloth. After a moment of contemplation, she realized that he was putting pantyhose on her. A moment later she felt herself covered by the blanket before the man gave her a gentle pat on the head. His fingers smelled of feces as he reached behind her head and pulled off the handkerchief that was covering her eyes. Slowly her sight adjusted to the dark and she noticed that she was in a dirty, dinky room in some sort of cabin in what seemed like the middle of the woods. She looked up to see the same man that had kidnapped her staring into her eyes.

"Had to move this," he said to her, his voice scratchy. He had numerous wounds across his face and he limped slowly as he dragged himself across the room. "I think it looks better here anyway, don't you?" Serena did not respond. "You probably didn't get to see how it looked back at Jim's place but it was sure nice."

Inclining her head she finally saw what he was looking at and her eyes widened in utter shock. There were pictures of her everywhere. There were pictures of her while she was school, while she was with her mother, even when she was with Darien and her little cousin Rini. She shuddered when she realized how old some of those pictures were. In a few of them she noticed that she was a wearing a junior varsity cheerleading outfit. She hadn't been on the JV team since she was sixteen! Her stomach clenched in horror as she realized that these men had been following her for at least two years.

"Nice, huh? Jim was such a great artist," he said proudly. After a moment, his smile faded. "He was a great artist until you put him away, you stupid little bitch." He glared at her. "Bet you were pretty proud of yourself, huh? Well who's laughing now? Soon Jim will be out and you will be ours. How does that sound?" He stared at Serena waiting for to answer before he rushed toward her and smacked her hard across the face before grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her. She immediately tasted the blood in her mouth and out of defiance spit it onto his face. The man stumbled back from the bed before using that back side of his hand to wipe his face. He glared at her silently and she half expected him to attack her again, but immediately he walked out of the room.

Frantically Serena began tugging roughly at the ropes that bound her and despite the tearing feeling around her wrist and the thought that she might be drawing blood she continued in her attempt to break free. As the pain in her wrists became unbearable she ceased her actions and lay still on the bed. She tried to keep her tears in check realizing that crying wasn't going to get her out of this house. She looked around the quiet quarters in an attempt to get any bearing on where she was when a bright light suddenly flashed throughout the room. The action was repeated a few more times before Serena realized that the light was undoubtedly coming from a lighthouse and when she listened hard enough, she heard the sounds of waves breaking against the shore. With this knowledge she deduced that she was obviously by the water, at a beach where there was a light house. Inclining her head again she peaked out of the window and squinted until she noticed that despite being by the beach the cabin they were staying in was surrounded by dense foliage and she knew there was only one place this could have been: The East Side Wharf. It was the only beach that had a forest in the region, a forest where her family would go camping at when she was a child. At this thought her stomached lurched painfully when she realized that she was at least one hundred miles out of the nearest town, which happened to be the Azabu district. If she could make it out of this cabin, maybe she could make it to Darien. At the thought of his name an innate sense of panic rushed over her. If she was here, that means she was taken from Darien's apartment and…what if he hurt Darien? What if Darien was lying somewhere unconscious or dead? Her mind began to race as her assailant burst into the room carrying a saucepan and sitting it on the table.

"What did you to do him?" asked Serena courageously as the thought of Darien hurt by this mad man filled her with a sudden strength.

"Who, pet?" asked the man as he shoved a spoonful of beans into his mouth. "Oh, your lover boy?" He laughed. "He's probably dead by now. Nice of him to try and fight for you. But you belong to us now and as soon as I get Jim's bail money together, you'll belong to us completely. Body and soul." He grinned wickedly at her.

Serena lay quietly as she listened to the disgusting sound of him slurping beans from the can before throwing the pot into the sink in what she assumed was the bathroom and exiting the room. The bedroom was dim and through the gentle candlelight she could see various components littering the small bedside table that lay to her right. Craning her neck painfully to the right she noticed various letters, pictures, bottle caps and what looked like a bag or marijuana sitting idly on top of the table. Sighing loudly she began to lower her head when the flash of the lighthouse illuminated the table. In the reflection of the light she saw a small object glittering beneath one of the unopened letters that lay on the table, assuming it was just another bottle cap, Serena was about to accept defeat when the lighthouse flashed again and she realized that it wasn't a bottle cap. It was a letter opener.

Instantly she glanced to the door where her kidnapper had exited. She could hear him singing loudly before turning her attention to the table. She began to reach for the sharp opener as his singing began to fade in the distance. Her heart was beating so fast that it was aching in her chest but Serena knew that if she didn't get this object and escape from him she wouldn't have a tomorrow to look forward to. Despite the stinging pain in her wrists and the feeling of blood being drawn by the coarse ropes, she managed to make contact with the wood and felt her fingers brush against the cold metal. The sharp metal cut through her index finger and she almost cried out in pain before reaching for it. She used the tips of her fingers to coax the metal from beneath the envelopes before securing it in her grip and placing it beneath her hair. Her breathing ragged from the effort and suspense, she almost laughed triumphantly. Now all she had to do was get the ropes off. They were tied tightly, but not so tight that she couldn't get her hands free. For the first time in her life she was glad she was petite. As quietly as possible she began to maneuver her hands through the ropes while silently pondering how much her wrists could bleed and ache before completely breaking off. Finally her right hand became free of the ropes completely. With lightening quick movements and constant glances to the door she began to tug at the rope with her free hand in order to release her other. She was almost free when suddenly she realized that the annoying singing had completely stopped. She craned her neck towards the doorway to see the man staring at her quietly, anger radiating from his tainted flesh.

"You stupid little bitch!" he said, rushing toward her and pushing her to the bed, her body slamming onto the lumpy mattress as her stomach sunk painfully into bed and her face was crushed into the pillow. He was pushing her head so deeply into the cotton that she couldn't breathe. He was suffocating her. She knew that within minutes she would lose consciousness and be subject to his brutality if he did suffocate her. As adrenaline began to pump though her, Serena frantically began kicking and screaming trying as hard as she could to fight him off of her. She heard a yelping sound as she realized that she had elbowed him hard in the face and he fell to her right onto the bedside table, spilling its contents onto the floor, including the flickering candle that fell with a large clank on the dirty ground. As the man lay trying to recover from the blow that she had given him and others that Darien had laid upon it, he was finding it difficult to find his bearings. Returning her attention to the rope and grabbing the letter opener she began to saw the rope off her arm grimacing when she would occasionally knick her hand with the knife. She was almost home free when she noticed the flickering light that was blinking in the corner of room. Her eyes widened when she realized that the candle that was knocked over had subsequently set the dirty curtains covering the window on fire and the room was quickly filling with smoke. If her situation weren't dire enough, her attacker regained his will to subdue her and pushed her back onto the bed further insulting her with various expletives and derogatory remarks.

Serena raised her foot and effectively kneed him in the testicles and he collapsed onto of her with the howl of pain. As the though the wooden bed beneath them protested, Serena heard the loud crunching of splintering wood and suddenly the bed gave way beneath them, splitting into many pieces and causing the wooden rails of the head board to break into small parts, effectively freeing Serena. She pushed the man from her body and grabbed the letter opener and ran for the door. Her breath was labored as the smoke of the room caused her to have a coughing fit. Realizing that his prized possession was on the verge of escape, he launched him himself as her, grabbing her ankle and sending her flying to the ground just as the letter opener fell from her grip and lay idly on the floor several inches away from her.

"As least we'll go out in a blaze," he said, trying to cover his mouth with hers and pushing his hands up her shirt. She was filled with disgust as his lips danced across her neck and summoning her last bit of strength she slowed his actions with one hand and reached for the knife with the other. The man got to his knees while continuing to keep Serena pushed against the floor. She undeniably heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down and felt her pantyhose tearing when she grabbed hold of the opener, swung it over her head and plunged it into his chest. The man froze in what she assumed was shock and pain and her eyes fell to where the opener was embedded deeply into the left side of his chest. His eyes went wide for a moment before he dropped to the ground and began wheezing on his side. A small amount of blood trickled from his mouth and he suddenly looked to Serena, his yellow eyes bearing into hers before his mouth went slack, his breathing ceased and the light faded from his eyes.

Serena struggled to breathe as the smoke continued to fill the room but she found herself unable to move. He was dead…he was lying there on the floor dead, by her hand. She hadn't meant to, she hadn't meant to kill him…she looked to her hands and saw the small amount of blood that stained her fingers and she retched onto the floor beside her. She hadn't meant to kill him.

She struggled to her feet as she wiped her mouth with back of her hand, the distinct taste of vomit staining her lips as she stumbled toward the outside room, following the trail of smoke that had exited the room into the dark surrounding of the forest where Serena ran into the night air, the bright sky shining above the blazing house as she staggered about into the forest and pursued her freedom.


	16. Chapter 15

Ramifications

Chapter 15

A/N: I love this story, I really do and to all my faithful readers, thanks for sticking around and staying interested. I promise to finish this; it might take some time as I have many things going on. But it will be completed and I am in fact planning a sequel that might be entitled "Bait and Switch," although the title is subject to change. As for this chapter, it's rather dark and deals with religious undertones. I really tried to capture what someone might be thinking in a situation like this and I really did enjoy writing this chapter as I find myself in a melancholic mood today. Please enjoy and do stick around. I am most definitely going to finish this story and "Moriari". I am currently unsure of "Of Faux and Friends" as it has become too soap opera –ish for my tastes. We shall see. Thanks again, and enjoy.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

* * *

His nails dug into the leather steering wheel; his grip was painful as he drove frantically through the streets of downtown Tokyo, searching for any signs of his beloved. As each minute passed, his belabored breaths hitched in his throat as he realized that any moment she could be dead, that his phone would vibrate painfully against his thigh, bringing the news that her body was found, that despite his efforts he was too late and that because of his everlasting need to be with her, she was dead. His car sped through another red light and the person in the passenger seat of his car sat quietly despite the fear that was raging through him. Darien was driving like a fucking maniac. Of course he was as worried about his daughter as Darien was, but getting them all killed in a fiery explosion would not in any way help her.

Relenting that lecturing the young man about his driving would not help the situation, he remained quiet and gripped the black leather seats, the sound of the local news blaring on the radio. Irene sat quietly in the back seat of Darien's sports car, her head buried in her hands. Her lips were dry, cracked and probably bleeding and her eyes were so painful that the glare of the street lights against Darien's windshield burned as she strained her eyes against the darkness of the night. It was nearly 2 am and no word, no ounce of news in regards to her child had arisen. Her hope and faith were slowly dying and if the morning brought a vision of the corpse of her daughter, she would indeed die too.

Darien glanced in his rear view mirror at the green SUV that was tailing him. He could tell by the look on her face that Lita was pissed at his erratic driving, but as of now her feelings were no longer of his concern. Quickly they sped deeper into the darkness as the bright lights of Tokyo whizzed by. The large apartment buildings turned into smaller shops shadowed on the wayside of the road, and the concrete street beneath them began to curve and angle as the remnants of the bright lights faded. They had been driving around for nearly three hours, searching every den of the city requesting the help of every denizen they could find in the search for the missing girl. No one had seen her, despite reports that she had been taken, despite the fact that the entire city had been alerted through news bulletins and internet reports. The kidnap of Serena Tsukino had become a national story, a national history and the slightest knowledge that if things turned for the worst and she had been murdered, that someone might even try and make a movie out of her story. He would rue the day that it came to that.

Yet despite their lack of providence in their search for the missing girl on everyone's mind tonight, he felt driven to follow the path he was currently on. Darien never considered himself to be a hopeless romantic, or one that believed in the strands of fate or the tides of destiny, but he honestly thought that something bigger than himself was leading him deeper into the rural depths of Tokyo on this humid July night. He had never been a practitioner of any particular religion, and fancied that God was some ambivalent source of light that sat in the heavens, watching amused as mankind plunged itself into various amounts of trouble and relishing the times when the faithful called upon his name. He hadn't prayed since the knowledge that his parents had died reached his ears; and despite his earnest desire that God would bring his parents back from the dead, nothing in fact moved God in all of his righteous power and glory to do the impossible and resurrect them from the dead. Perhaps his prayers fell upon deaf ears; perhaps Lazarus never really existed. But tonight, before heading to his car, he found himself kneeling in front of the sink in the men's room, crying his eyes out onto the sparkling clean white tiles praying with every fiber of his being that he, that someone would find Serena, that grace would befall them and that she would survive. If this really was God leading him to her, he would be thankful to him for the rest of his life.

He squinted, glaring into the sky his eyes stinging from exhaustion, trying to search for any sign that she was waiting for him, searching for him the way he was searching for her. And as the slight pang of annoyance poked at his heart over the fact that the stars held no answers for him, a curious sight caught his eye. Immediately, he slammed on the brakes; his tires locked and the steering wheel jolted in his hands and the inhabitants of his car yelled loudly at him and yet he paid them no mind. Rolling down the window the smell of charred wood assaulted his sense of smell and he peered farther into the sky as he noticed large grey clouds of smoke somewhere far in the distance. The sound of waves permeated the silence as both Ken and Irene Tsukino stared at the dark color contrast that was staining the sky. Whatever the grey matter was it was blocking the flickering of the celestial bodies above them. Before them was the winding road that led into the most rural part of the town. He knew exactly where this was; it was the East Side Wharf… it was the bending road that kept so many memories for him. In his mind flashed the sight of bright lights, the loud honking of a horn, the frantic screams of his mother, instructions from his father, the feeling of floating in the air and the crash of the car submerging into the water of the sea; this is the road where a fatigued truck driver had claimed the life of his parents. This was the sea in which his parents had drowned. If God had indeed planned for this to be the burial place of his beloved, then life was indeed cruel and in his opinion, not worth living.

Immediately Darien rolled up the windows, and pushed his foot upon the gas pedal, listening as his engine roared to life. The sky thundered above him, and bright jolts of lightening illuminated the sky. She was there. He was certain.

_Wait for me…_

* * *

She trembled on the damp grass, wet from the drizzle that was raining from the sky of above. The gentle drops of dew felt refreshing against her face and the rain began to pour so hard that she couldn't distinguish the tears running down her cheeks from the water wetting her skin. Her fingers tangled in the grass below her, and she inhaled the earthy smell of the moss that blanketed the ground. She coughed violently, her lungs straining, her chest pounding, her thighs burning from her effort to run away. Despite her distance, she could still see the sizzling embers as they burned brightly, swallowing up the house in an angry inferno; a fitting end for an evil house where no doubt horror ensued. She wanted to run to civilization, but she felt far too weak. Whatever burst of adrenaline that resulted in her fear and sheer want to free herself from her captor had long worn off and she was left to lie in a pool of her own sorrow and exhaustion. She had escaped the grip of a sociopath, started a fire and killed a man. She smirked to herself in a way that showed that despite the fact that she could still smile, the grin held no humor. The dark, echo of humor in fact lied in the fact that she would probably die out here, alone, wet and in middle of nowhere from smoke inhalation after defeating the villain and saving her own life.

And to think, sometimes life held no justice.

* * *

"Where the hell are you going?" asked Ken as Darien once again slammed on the brakes, lurching the car into a shaky mess of wire and metal before coming to a complete stop on the slick road. Darien made no attempt to respond to the man's initial question.

"Call someone, there's a fire and she's here," said Darien. Even to his own ears his voice was not his own.

"You don't know that," cried Lita as she jogged toward Darien, his retreating figure forcing her to push herself to run faster than she ever had.

"Yes, I do." His reply was more to himself than anyone else as he picked up his face. Quickly he strode past the trees, his long legs allowing him to zoom past the fauna as he trekked through the dark forest. Rain was pouring down on him and his shoes became thick with mud. His bruised ribs burned with every single movement he made. He could complain later, he could ache and hurt when he found her. They would ache and hurt together.

Lita watched as his figure continued to retreat into the darkness. If nothing Darien was determined to find her, and she hoped that if nothing, in the end that would be good enough. After all, Lita had lost her parents too, like Darien, and was no stranger to wishful thinking. But she had to keep the faith, because despite the fact that bad things often happened to good people, there was still a little benevolence in the world and maybe tonight, someone would have fortitude enough to look upon their friend and save her.

He could see the fire from the small shack burning in the distance and knew he was getting closer to finding…something; whether that something was good or bad was still to be determined. And despite the need to rest, to fall over and drown in the grass beneath the crying the sky, he began to see something in the distance. Perhaps his praying did pay off. And as he neared the small clump of white skin and cotton he heard the sound of soft crying and he knew it was her, he knew she was alive and he pushed himself harder to get near to her faster.

Her eyesight was getting blurry. Was that a sure sign of death? She wasn't sure. Now she was starting to hear things. She had once read a story about how when you died, your dead loved ones would come back to see you, so you would not have to be ushered into the afterlife alone. As she lay, recanting that story in her head and swearing that it sounded like someone was coming toward her, she decided that the story was complete and utter bullshit. Her eyes fluttered closed and as she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness she swore she heard someone call her name, swore she felt someone's warm breath against her skin, swore she felt a heartbeat through the hand that was caressing her face. And when she found the strength to open her eyes, she was overcome with so many emotions that spontaneously combusting seemed like the only proper option for her. Instead, she cleared her throat and spoke to him.

"Darien?"

Her voice was hoarse, deep and tired, but to him it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

"I'm here baby," he said, his eyes stinging. He thought he would faint with relief, but instead he scooped her body up into his arms and held her, letting his lips brush against her head.

She smiled widely, even though her vision was so damn blurry from tears, rain and the fact that she was possibly losing consciousness, she knew it was him. She couldn't figure what to say and to was too tired to muster up enough emotion to pour out about how happy she was to see him so instead she said a meek, "Thank you," and let her head rest against his chest.

He pulled her into him, despite the pain in his ribs, until both their bodies had fallen against the base of a wide tree trunk on which he rested. He had been pushing himself so hard that night that he had forgotten to tend to his own injuries and had instead focused on finding her. He bent down and kissed the top of her damp forehead. In the distance he could hear the sound of sirens, of people approaching, of someone calling his name.

He closed his eyes and felt his arms grow slack against her body as the sound of a rushing crowd grew near. And as he slipped deeper into the dark chasm of exhaustion, he couldn't help but reflect on the time that she had called him her knight.

_And the hero gets the girl…_Darien liked when stories ended that way.


	17. Chapter 16

Ramifications

Chapter 16

A/N: See, I promised. I got mostly good reviews from all of you over chapter 15 (well all of my reviews were good except for one), which made me quite excited to begin chapter 16. It's sort of long, and the first part is mainly introspective but the situation calls for it. Hope you all enjoy and I hope to have the next part by either Sunday or early next week. Thanks for reading, and as always, I like reviews!

Rating: M (although I suppose it could be T. It wasn't _that_ violent…)

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

* * *

His hand was burning.

Although he was fairly sure that he wasn't conscious, he knew for a fact that his hand was indeed, burning.

The faint sound of beeping could be heard in the distance and the smell of solvent cleaner slipped into every breath he inhaled. No longer could he feel the dampness of the grass seeping into the jeans he was wearing. No longer was the sound of sirens trickling into his ears. Try as he might he was unable to move and found himself in some sort of semi conscious state that he feared might be the void between life and death.

Something fairly soft was resting idly beneath him and when he tried to move his abdomen and hips, he found himself sinking deeper into the supple surface. Still, his hand was aching and what had once been a slight stinging had turned into a painful feeling of his skin being pierced and then nothing. He wanted to reach out and touch something, for his mind was racing with frantic thoughts and he was so full of a feeling that he distinctly knew was worry that his heartbeat started to elevate to the point that the drumming of his pumping chest was the most prevalent sound in his ears. Why was he so afraid? He couldn't remember. And his body, it ached so fiercely, he could feel every joint, every tendon, and every single ounce of skin crying for something akin to release. He sort of wished his hand would start burning again, at least he would know he was alive.

As he tried to forcefully calm himself, he felt a cloudy haze wash over him as an overload of images suddenly shattered the darkness in his mind. He remembered running, he remembered that for sure, although in his stupor he wasn't quite sure what he was running to. He distinctly remembered the pain in his chest and the agony it took for him to draw breath as he continued sprinting through a silent dark forest. It had been night, it had been raining, and he had been running…running toward the absolute most important prize of his life.

Shadows and voices were filling his mind and each indistinct blob of darkness had a purpose. Some of them spoke comforting words to him, but to one of them belonged a gaze so angry and severe that he desperately wanted to turn away. An almost silent echo shot through his mind, something that he had said in regards to this angry apparition, this menacing poltergeist that would rip him from the throes of some sort of bliss that his most important prize had promised him: _"…I'll stay away from Serena after that. I give you my word."_

Yes, he wished his hand would start to burn again.

* * *

He looked troubled as he slept. Immobile yes, but there was no tranquility etched into his features, there was no sign of a peaceful slumber. She touched his forehead and he stiffened slightly. The doctor called for rest, but being a mother herself, she couldn't want but to wake him from his restless dreams. The nurse had just entered and changed the syringe on Darien's intravenous drip; they had pumped him with massive doses of morphine. The nurse, a young woman, admired Darien for a moment after treating him, and Irene could clearly see that the youthful brunette appreciated Darien's looks. He was also quite the legend on the news and in the hospital; he was the young man that had navigated danger to save the life of the young woman that he loved. Darien Chiba overnight had become a local hero. As soon as she left, Irene touched his warm cheek in an attempt to ease him from his slumber; this used to be her preferred method of waking her daughter.

"Darien," she said, her voice sounded aged and yet she cleared her throat and croaked out his name again. She continued to slightly prod him for some time until he stirred. A muffled grunt came from his mouth and his eyes opened more quickly than she had expected. He was looking around the room wildly before his deep blue eyes settled on her. For a moment she thought that he had no idea who she was. But when his grip tightened around her hand, she couldn't help but smile.

His mind was still spinning. Why was she here with him? Shouldn't she be with her own daughter? Shouldn't she be easing Serena out of her nightmares and not him? Unless…unless despite his efforts, Serena hadn't survived and she had decided in kindness to be the messenger, the harbinger that would surely bring him the worst news of his life. He had been in this situation before twelve years ago, but the news of his parent's death had not been from a lovely woman who was staring down at him with a caring look in her eye, but from a stranger in a large, black coat, his shiny badge glistening beneath the dark lining. He swallowed hard, but the lump that he could feel blocking his esophagus could not be swallowed away. That lump would probably stay with him for the rest of his life; so would his sadness, so would his pain.

His tongue felt thick and for the first time in his life he realized how slimy it was in comparison to how dry his throat felt. He couldn't believe he wanted to be a doctor; did he really want to deal with bodily fluids for the rest of his life? He looked to the IV in his arm. Of course he did, that was the pain killer talking. He had wanted to be a doctor from the moment he knew that his parents were dead. Maybe if he studied hard enough, if he worked his ass off diligently he would become a savior of sorts, a messianic being in human form that could save lives at will and perhaps save a child from the fate of living without its parents. Perhaps he had a hero complex; perhaps it was years of blaming himself for the death of his parents. If he hadn't wanted so desperately to spend the day near the East Side Wharf, they wouldn't have died. His father had mentioned how dangerous those cliffs were to drive, but Damien Chiba would deny his son nothing, especially not on that date; it had been his only child's tenth birthday, after all.

"Where is she?"

Irene smiled sweetly at him. _Here it comes; just say it…just say it and let me mourn my loss._

"She's sleeping," she said, her smile widening. "They gave her something to help her sleep. She had a couple of cuts and some bruising, but none the worse for wear, which is all because of you, of course."

He was nodding, not of his own accord, however. His head kept moving in a sort of physical announcement that he had heard her and had comprehended what she said, when in reality her news had plunged him into a state of feral disbelief. He wished he could stop nodding his head at some point, but the meds they had slipped him made his head feel ten times bigger and heavier than it was in reality.

"Did you hear what I said?" she asked, her smile weak; she was tired, but still amused by his behavior. He had gone from a focused, almost manic leader to a dazed child who couldn't quite figure that the circle block fit perfectly in its blue circular counterpart. She understood that his mind was a bit of an unfinished puzzle and until all of his pain medication wore off, it would be up to him to fit the pieces back together.

"I'm not quite sure. Say it again?" He had indeed heard her the first time, but he needed a confirmation, just to make sure wishful thinking hadn't gotten the better of him. Since he had, in fact, been in this situation before.

Irene laughed gently, the first time she had laughed all night. "She's fine, Darien. And it's all because of you."

His eyes started stinging and he looked away. Sure they had bonded over a particularly dire moment in both of their lives, but crying in front of her would be far too embarrassing. He looked to the ceiling, to the floor, anywhere but into the eyes of the woman that was staring at him with such admiration and care. He sniffled and his chest heaved and he felt his cheeks get hot as the tears welled in his eyelids and fell like streams of rain past his face, some of them dripping onto his hand that sat idly in his lap. He heard a movement and thought she was leaving the room. But as her presence neared closer to him, he was overwhelmed with shock when she leaned in and hugged him. It was a different kind of hug than those he had experienced of late. She had hugged him once before, at his apartment when they came to pick up Serena. He distinctly remembered how that hug felt too; it was the hug of a mother and it was the sort of embrace that he hadn't felt in years.

"Can I see her?" His voice was muffled against her shoulder. She smelled like lemons. Serena had mentioned that she made an exceptional lemon pie once before. Maybe one day she would make one for him.

Irene pulled back and looked at him. "Of course you can, she might still be asleep, but at least you can see for yourself that's she's alright."

She left the room quietly before returning with a nurse, two male nurses in fact, and a wheelchair. He frowned. "I can walk, Mrs. Tsukino."

"Of course you can dear." She was patronizing him; speaking in that placating voice telling him that he could do something when she really thought that he couldn't. His mother used to do that to him too. He smiled. Instead of arguing with her and the male nurses that were staring at him firmly, he let himself be helped into the wheelchair and when the task was done, even relented to letting her push him around in it.

As she wheeled him through the pasty halls, he kept noticing that he was getting a lot of attention from the passersby, doctors and nurses included. He even got a thumps up and a high five from people he didn't know. "Oh by the way," said Irene, leaning down so that only he could hear her. "You were on the news. I expect everyone in the city knows that you saved Serena." He made no response to his statement, but the longing looks the female nurses and doctors were giving him pretty much confirmed her story.

As they drew nearer to Serena's quarters, he noticed the crowd that had gathered around what he assumed to be her room and knew that loitering in the hallway was against hospital policy, but as nuts as Serena's friends were, he assumed the doctor's couldn't get the women to move. When they took notice to Darien, every single one of them bomb rushed him and scattered in a circle around him, offering hugs and thanks. Raye had taken to crying so hard that he didn't know what she was saying, but had returned her hug nonetheless. After about five minutes of him constantly reassuring them that he was fine, Irene cleared the way for him to go inside her room. She pushed the door open, peaked around, and wheeled Darien inside.

He was about to get up out of his position of confinement when he noticed that he had come face to face with Ken Tsukino and he looked irate. Darien looked up at him, but said nothing. He really didn't have time for this and her father was hovering over him and blocking his view of her and he was _this _close to punching his lights out when Ken opened his mouth and said the most unexpected thing. "Thank you." It was more of a grunt than anything.

Darien was about to ensure him that it was no problem when Ken Tsukino raised his hand to silence him. "I still don't like you though. You are far too old to be seeing my daughter and who knows what you did to her while she was in your _care_ (to which Darien rolled his eyes). But, thank you." Ken side stepped away from him toward the door. "And the by the way, this," he said, waving his hands, "still isn't over." The older man paused for a moment and then exited the room. Darien huffed loudly; of course it wasn't over. Pressing his hands against the armrests of the wheelchair; he hoisted himself up and toward her bed. Daylight was seeping onto her face through the blinds and he couldn't help but think how magnificently beautiful she looked lying on that bed.

He ambled over to a chair beside her and looked at her face, washed in light and Serenity. He was just about to touch her hand when he noticed a small smile fall upon her lips. "I've been fake sleeping for what seems like an hour. Where have you been?" Her voice was dry, but he could definitely detect humor in her speech. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, her bright blue orbs filled with mirth. She grinned gingerly and Darien felt the crease of his lips fold and spread and his jaws work his mouth into a smile too.

"This still isn't over," she said, purposefully deepening her voice and balling her fists in mock rage. He smirked at her impersonation.

"Hello to you, too."

At that moment she lurched forward and gave him the biggest hug she could muster. It hurt when she squeezed him and her whole body felt sore when his arms wrapped around her, but despite their pain, being so close to one another after such a harrowing experience was the most enrapturing feeling in the world. It was a feeling neither one of them would ever forget.

She parted from him briefly before letting her fingers caress his face. She noticed the bruises he had sustained from his fight with her captor. During her period of mock resting, she had heard her friends mentioning the story and even caught bits and pieces of gossip from the incoming nurses about what Darien had undergone to find her. Her heart was so full at that moment that she thought she was going to burst. She wanted to kiss his "boo-boos" away and contemplated telling him that before realizing how lame that would be if she had actually said it.

"Are you okay?" she asked, smiling brightly at him.

"I'm okay when you're okay," he said, honestly. He was staring at her with this look in his eye that she had never seen before and the pretty blonde had no idea that Darien was envisioning thoughts of taking her out of this room, getting a marriage license and running off to some private paradise where they could live their lives out in wedded bliss; away from crazed psycho maniacs, away from crazed fathers.

She leaned in to kiss him and suddenly reality came crashing down upon him. She looked surprised and fairly hurt when he turned his head from her. She immediately pulled back and looked up at him, bewildered.

"What was that for?" she asked. Her voice was meek.

He looked down to the bed and felt the prickly hairs rise on the back of his neck; her father was watching. And as much as it pained him, he had given Irene his word. She was back in the protective care of progress and that would have to be enough for him. She was safe now; and that was all that mattered.

He patted her hand deftly. When her eyes narrowed, he knew he was about to get an earful. "So what? You go through all this trouble of getting severely hurt to find me, you trekked through hell and high water to save my life and when we're finally together again when _he _is _gone_, then that's it? Then it's over? Don't do this to me! I love you."

Her chest was heaving, and that fire in her eyes was back. He hadn't seen her look so enraged since their pre-relationship days when he made it his business to torment her at the Crown Arcade.

"Serena, you don't understand-"

"Don't you dare say that I don't understand," she cried, her voice was deep and powerful and for a moment she didn't sound like herself. "I have just been through the worst experience of my life, I had every reason to think that I was going to die tonight and I killed a man. I killed him, Darien. I watched him die because of something I did and finally, finally you walk in and my heart doesn't hurt and for a moment I stop thinking about it and you push me away! Don't do this…it's not fair." Her lips were trembling and the muscles in her throat looked like they were throbbing and he could tell she was trying so desperately not to cry. And when he remained silent, he watched her walls come down and she crumpled to the bed and she was crying in a way that he had never seen her weep. She wasn't wailing in a childish way, like he had seen her do so many times before, her sobs were silent and intense and it seemed liked they were coming from a well so deep, so ensnared by such a deep hollow of grief that her cries seemed otherworldly. She was sobbing and talking at the same time and he hadn't a clue what she was saying. Her hands has fisted into the sheets and the mattress was curving off the bed. He felt like such a useless asshole for sitting there watching her collapse into the bed and yet he remained silent and stoic and not once did he touch her. She carried on for about five minutes before she suddenly stopped. When she finally looked up at him, he thought Serena had lost her mind and that she was going to attack him.

She sat forward, wiped her eyes, and stared at him. "No."

It was a simple, short response, but there was power and authority behind it. "No, what?"

She shook her head. "I don't care if my father doesn't like you, or that we lied to Raye. The whole entire fucking world could hate the fact that we were together and I wouldn't care." She looked directly into his eyes. "You never stopped looking for me. I know you didn't, I know it in my soul that you would still be looking if you hadn't found me last night and you think that after what we've been through that I'm going to sit on my ass and let you just up and leave me. You made a promise to me that day, when my parents came to take me away from your house. You said 'Nothing is going to come between us.' You made me a promise and you are going to keep it, whether you like it or not."

He raised his eyebrow. She had never spoken to him like that. He was surprised to say the least and when the corner of his lips twitched he realized he admired the fire she was emitting right now. "Be that as it may, I promised your mother and father I would find you and after that I would stay away from you."

"I don't care."

Darien sighed. He was glad she didn't care. He opened his mouth but her glare immediately silenced him. "Go get my parents," she commanded, and after a moment's beat added, "please."

"Why?" he was fairly amused by her captain commando behavior.

"Because I just asked you to, I'm in no mood for games."

"Games?" His arms folded over his chest as he surveyed her, amused.

"Darien, I'm serious go get them."

He waited a moment, before slowly getting up and walking to the door. He glanced back at her before opening it and beckoning her parents in.

Immediately Irene and Ken rushed to their daughter's side, but before they could embrace her she held up her right hand and stopped them. She immediately looked to her father.

"I have done every single thing you have asked me for my entire life," she began, staring intently at Ken. "You told me to respect you, to get good grades in school, to not bring home any boys, to stay away from drugs and bad influences and I did that. I have proven over and over to you that I am responsible, I am mature, and I am almost eighteen. I love you daddy, I do, but you have no right to forbid people from being a part of my life." Ken instantly glanced over at Darien. "I love him, period. I'm not asking your permission to love him, I'm not asking for your blessing, I am telling you that I love him, and if you don't like it then we'll both just have to deal with that. I _am _your daughter, but by no means do you own my spirit or my soul, and you absolutely cannot tell me who I can and cannot love. Darien loves me too, and he proved that many times over the last couple of days. I doubt that in my lifetime I will ever find someone that would do for me tonight what Darien has done for me. We _will_ be together, and you can either jump on the bandwagon and be happy about it or find away to accept it, because _nothing_ will ever change the way I feel for him."

Darien said absolutely nothing during her entire rant and once her pause signified the fact that she was done, he almost gave her a standing ovation and would have, if this was the proper place and situation for such behavior. Instead he remained quiet, but he was full of admiration, surprise, respect and most of all love for the woman that was staring her father down with a gaze so tense that it seemed as if she was daring him to respond to her negatively. When he glanced at Serena's mother, she had a look on her face he had never seen before. He could swear she was smirking and despite her attempt at being passive, he could even see a little pride in _her_ eyes too.

Ken Tsukino remained quiet for a moment before taking his eyes off his daughter and looking to Darien. Taking the proper cue from his girlfriend, he stared defiantly right on back. "Did you put her up to this?"

"Nope, this was 100 percent her doing." He never thought a man's face could turn as purple as it looked right now. He was staring at the older man waiting for him to move and despite his injuries, he would be ready to subdue him just in case his anger gave way and he attacked Serena. Yet surprisingly, Ken neither said nor did a thing. Instead, he glanced at Irene, untangled his hand from hers and rushed out of the room and into the hallway.

Serena looked from her mother to Darien and said nothing. That wasn't quite the reaction she had honestly expected. In fact now she was sort of waiting for her mother to berate her, but the cries of an angry Irene never came. Instead, she sat next to her daughter, hugged her soundly, kissed her forehead and muttered terms of endearment to her child, to which after she rose from the bed, placed a kiss on Darien's cheek and turned to leave the room.

"Get some rest you two," she said, "I'm going to find you father." She offered one last smile before walking quickly down the hall in search of her husband.

Perhaps one victory was won tonight, but another battle seemed to be just beginning.


	18. Chapter 17

Ramifications

Chapter 17

A/N: Yes, we've come to the final chapter. I can't believe this has been two years in the making and I am sad it's over, but as previously mentioned, there will indeed be a sequel called "Bait and Switch" and I hope to have the first chapter out in a week or two. In the meantime I am going to devote myself to finishing up "Moriari" because there are several chapters to go for that one. In the meantime I hope you enjoyed this story, hope you enjoy "Moriari" and thanks for all the wonderful reviews. It's been a blast.

A/n 2: I know I promised _someone_ a lemon, but considering what our heroine just went through, I don't think it would be appropriate. Those themes will be in the sequel, so sorry about that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon

Rating: M

* * *

"What has gotten into her?" asked Ken, his fists hitting the top of his black car. "You see, he's done this to her. She has never spoken to me like that before!"

"I think that's the point dear," said Irene dryly. She had been in the underground parking lot for at least twenty minutes listening to her husband vent about their daughter's behavior.

"So you agree with her then?"

"I don't agree with the way she handled it, no, but after what's happened to her, do you expect her to be calm and rational about this? Whether or not you approve of Darien, you have to admit that he _does_ love her, Ken."

"He's too old for her."

Irene smirked, letting her hand brush against her husband's warm cheek. "If I'm not mistaken, I can recall my mother and father saying the same thing about you."

Ken glared at her. "Completely different situation," he said, crossing his hands over his chest in a defiant manner. Serena definitely got her stubborn nature from her father.

"How so?"

"Irene, you can't be seriously condoning this? Things were different back then, it was such a long time ago."

Her lips puckered. "It wasn't that long ago, Ken Tsukino." Her hands fell to her hips.

"That's not what I meant," he said, raising his arms in a fashion that mimicked surrender. "All I'm saying is that times were different when we were young. Everyone was getting married at our age. Serena is too young to be running off with some hotshot kid and getting married and getting herself into trouble."

"Is that what you think, that Darien is some 'hot shot' kid that's going to corrupt our daughter?"

"We don't know anything about him."

"And whose fault is that?"

He glared at her. "Don't patronize me, Irene."

"Maybe if you got to know him you would realize that Darien is a very intelligent, mature and capable young man. Did you know he is starting medical school in the fall? And that he graduated top of his class from Azabu Technical University?"

Ken sputtered and Irene distinctly heard him mutter a harsh 'no.' "Don't you remember how much we struggled when we got married so young?"

"What makes you think they're getting married Ken? They've been together for less than a month."

Her husband scoffed before running his hands over his face. "Have you seen the way he looks at her?" he asked bitterly. "That's the way I used to look at you, Irene, and we got married a year later."

She smiled as his comment and immediately wrapped her hands around her husband's neck. "And would that be so bad if they did get married? They're not us Ken. Darien has a college degree, Serena is starting in the fall, and I'm sure you've noticed that the boy's not poor. He lives in a high rise penthouse in the Azabu district and Serena said that that red little sports car is not the only car he owns."

"Wherein lies another question, where the hell did he get all that money?"

Irene blanched before letting her arms fall to her sides. That _was _a good question. She was pretty sure that Darien Chiba didn't have a job, but he definitely wasn't in need of funds.

"Maybe he's a drug dealer," said Ken rubbing his hands together. It seemed as though he _wanted_ something to be wrong with Darien. "Have you ever thought of _that_ Irene? Maybe he's in the mafia, maybe… Irene?" Ken Tsukino sighed as he watched his wife walk away from him, her heels clicking against the cold concrete as she made her way back toward the automatic doors of the hospital's basement floor. He sighed; maybe this was one battle he wouldn't be able to win.

* * *

She smiled gently and he could feel her lips crease against his cheek. Serena had decided to make it her business to kiss every little _visible_ bruise and cut she could see that was littered across Darien's otherwise perfect body. His other lacerations would have to be kissed in the privacy of his home, sometime later.

He felt himself shudder when her lips moved down his cheek to his jugular, her hands brushing against the small, purple bruise that marred the soft flesh of his face. Her hands were already moving to his neck and although there were no noticeable marks, she couldn't help but kiss him there too. She grinned with satisfaction when he groaned and wrapped his hands around her waist. He tried not to dig his fingers into her too hard, not wanting to inflict any pain on her currently fragile person. But he was succumbing quickly to her advances and found himself getting rather _excited_ in this bleak and quiet room on the fourth floor of Juban General Hospital. Knowing that his gown left nothing to be desired, he slowly uncoiled himself from her; this was neither the time nor place for that.

He laid a kiss on the top of her head before releasing her from his grip and letting his hands fall onto his pelvis in an attempt to try and cover the result of her sudden display of physical love. She reached out for him, but he quickly pushed himself further away from her. "You'd better stop that."

Her grin spoke volumes. "What if I don't want to?"

"We don't really have a choice, this is a public place, which means if we keep carrying on, we could end up in jail for lewd and lascivious behavior." She pouted. "Besides your friends keep peeking in here, I think you guys need to talk." Serena knew exactly what he meant when he said she needed to talk to her friends, he meant she needed to specifically talk to Raye. She was sort of putting this off for a while; despite her ordeal, she and Raye still weren't on speaking terms and she hadn't exactly made up with her friends since the news broke of her and Darien's romantic entanglement.

"Can you get them for me please?" she asked, squinting. She really didn't want to have this conversation but knew that it was either now or never and that at least after it was done, she could breathe a sigh of relief, no matter how poorly the conversation went.

"I'll come back, later, I promise," he said, getting up slowly and planting a soft kiss on her forehead before once again approaching the door and beckoning people inside. All four ladies crowded into the room quickly. Darien winked at her before exiting and walking back to his own bed.

The silence was awkward for a moment and she decided that perhaps it was her place to make the first move, since in fact, it was her fault that this whole mess with Raye happened in the first place. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, all four girls made a strange squealing sound and rushed to her side, enveloping her into the most enjoyably painful hug she had experienced in quite some time. In their excitement they all started talking to her so fast she had trouble keeping up with what every single girl was saying and yet despite the confusion, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Suddenly, after everyone had relayed her version of tonight's events to Serena, they waited patiently as she described her escape from her captor's hold and her midnight trek into the forest near the shack. She hadn't expected so many "ooh's" and "aah's" and realized that if this hadn't been something that had happened to her, it would have made a very exciting movie, or at least a somewhat enjoyable short story. Once her tale was over, they once again fell into a palpable silence as Raye began fidgeting in her chair. Maybe it was time to finally confront what had happened between them.

"Hey guys, do you mind if I talk to Raye, alone?" Serena asked, scratching the back of her head.

Mina, Lita and Ami gave both girls a knowing look before agreeing and exiting the room quietly. Serena and Raye sat silently for a moment, the buzzing and beeping of various hospital machines and the quiet chatter of the passersby the only audible sound in the room. Serena cleared her throat sharply and opened her mouth to speak before being immediately cut off by Raye's stronger, louder voice.

"This won't be easy for me," she muttered, looking down at the palms of her hands that were resting idly in her lap. "I mean you and Darien."

"I-I know, I'm not expecting you to-"

"I sort of never thought things would turn out this way. I know…I knew he never felt anything for me, but for him to fall in love with you, was…I didn't really know how to handle it and ended up handling it poorly." She paused before looking pointedly up at Serena. "I am really sorry for slapping you and saying the things that I said. I was angry and hurt and really jealous of you and it just, it all came out wrong."

"It's okay, Raye, I-"

"But it won't be easy for me to see you guys together. Because although I know that Darien is 100 percent devoted to you, I can't help but still want him. I mean, tonight was the scariest, most frustrating night of my life. Here one of my best friends is kidnapped and all I could think about was how determined Darien was to find you and how I wished he cared about me like that."

"Anybody would feel like that Raye-"

"And I know I shouldn't have and it was really, just stupid of me to feel like that about him. I mean, he's yours now and I would never do anything to come between you two. And I just wanted to let you know that and that it's going to be hard for me to just watch you two together, you know, but I really want us to start over and try to get past this because we've been friends forever, and there are plenty of other fish in the sea."

"Thanks, Raye, I'd like that too. And I'm glad-"

"Again, I'm just really sorry and glad that you're okay," said Raye, getting up abruptly and swallowing her blonde friend up in a tight hug.

"I'm glad we had this talk, Serena, hope you feel better," she said cheerfully before exiting the room.

Serena's face soured. "Yeah, me too." Just like Raye to not let her get a word in edge wise. Things _were_ starting to finally get back to normal.

* * *

Now it was her turn to watch over him. She placed her hand on his forehead and felt him stir under her touch. He had promised to come back and find her after her and her friends had spoken, but it was at that time that the doctor had decided to examine them both and afterward come to the conclusion that Serena was free to go and that Darien should stay for one more day to properly treat his extensive injuries. It was after this that he decided to lay down and fall into a restful sleep.

She sat there and watched him, her hands resting in the palms of her hands, a dreamy expression on her face as she surveyed the gentle rise and fall of his chest and silently reveled in the serene look etched into his features. She heard heavy footsteps near the door and the clinking of high heels before three gentle taps knocked on the door and her mother peeked in. It was almost two in the afternoon and visiting hours would soon be over. As she wasn't a patient anymore, she could no longer stay and watch him sleep and instead opted to rise quietly and place a small kiss on the bridge up his nose. Slowly a small smile formed on his lips and gradually his blue pupils peeked through his half lidded eyes. He blinked groggily for a second before reaching out and entwining his fingers with hers.

"Off so soon?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep.

"Yeah, the nurses are rushing us off, probably so they can get their hooks into you while I'm gone," she said half joking.

"My heart belongs to you," he said honestly.

"I know that, you just make sure they know that."

He smirked. "Will do."

"I'll be back around six to see you again."

"You should get some rest."

"I can rest when you're fully healed and your holding me. Until then, I'm going to be just as concerned for as you as you were for me." She leaned over and kissed him softly, her blonde locks falling onto his slightly exposed chest. She leaned toward his ear before whispering, "Thanks for saving my life. I won't ever forget that. I love you."

She parted from him gradually as he pulled her hand toward his mouth and kissed the slightly bruised skin softly. "I love you, too." She let her fingers brush against his before they parted. She glanced at her mother who walked further into the room, said goodbye to Darien and kissed his cheek. Her father remained a looming force in the doorway, but did not object to either Serena's or Irene's display towards the young man. Perhaps that was enough progress for now.

He heard the click of the door and saw their shadows retreat down the hall as the darkness of exhaustion claimed him once again, the outline of Serena's face visible even beneath his eyelids.

* * *

The car ride home was silent and somber to say the least. Both her mother and father seemed at odds regarding how to handle the situation that had arisen between Darien and Serena. Her father's vehement dislike for him seemed to have grown since their last encounter, no doubt because Irene fully supported the union of her daughter and the dark haired male. Surely another argument would come, and another after that, and Serena in all of her stubbornness in regards to not submitting to the will of her caring yet tyrannical father, would be ready and prepared to defend Darien to anyone who didn't approve of him, no matter what the future held. She would be eighteen in five days after all, and her decisions would soon be her own and despite the tension that undoubtedly would come with sharing the same roof as her father, she would soon be in school in September, and away from his behavior. She and Darien would pursue their relationship freely, her father would finally accept them, things would work out with Raye and they would live happily ever after. Even to her own ears, that scenario sounded too perfect and she knew that nothing in her life would ever be _that_ easy. She supposed she should enjoy the quiet while she could, for this little interlude between serenity and calamity seemed to be the invariable calm before the storm and she would savor it.

While she could.

* * *

Her eyes were watching the slow movements of the dials on the wooden antique clock that sat on the nearby end table beside the comfortable couch that she and her counterpart were sitting on. The common bystander would incorrectly assume that the young man and woman, who were staring at the clock so intently, were waiting for some inevitable doom to come their way, whereas in reality, they were waiting for the restraints of age to shatter and for the young blonde to finally come of age. When the clock inevitably did strike midnight on July 30, the blonde shrieked with joy and threw her body into the man beside her, swallowing him up in an enrapturing almost magical kiss. When they parted, both of them were nothing but smiles.

"How does it feel to finally be eighteen?" He asked, looking into the bright blue eyes shining down upon him, her face jovial yet calm.

She looked contemplative before answering. "Miraculously, not very different than it felt from being seventeen."

Darien chuckled. "Well you can vote, now."

"Yes, very important."

"And you're legally responsible for your actions, so if you get arrested, you'll be held liable for your crimes and tried as an adult."

"Yes, another very important aspect of growing up. I can also ignore my psycho father from now on."

"Right, can't forget that as he's been quite the hindrance to our relationship, banning you from being with me and such."

"I agree, forcing me to sneak out to see you on the eve of my own birthday."

"There's something else you can do, you know, as of being eighteen?"

"Rob a bank?"

"No."

"Become president?"

"Not quite."

"What am I missing, Mr. Chiba?"

Darien smirked. "You could get married."

Serena's mouth twitched, and she smiled. Lately, well for the last five days at least, Darien had been dropping these little comments about marrying her. At first she thought he was joking, but yesterday he had off handedly told her that she should be prepared for him to pop the question, as it would probably happen sometime soon. She was currently on the verge of believing him, since earlier this week he had asked her what kind of ring she would want, to which she eagerly explained what her dream engagement ring would look like; he mentally took notes. And despite the fact that they had been together for a little over a month, which she had carefully reminded him, he assured her that they had technically been together for four years, as when they were in the same room, all of their attention was on each other and that he had been in fact waiting for her his entire life.

"Don't tease me Darien."

"Who says I'm teasing, I am completely serious. I'm just waiting for the right time is all."

She made a face indicating that she didn't believe him and he just laughed. In fact Darien was already in possession of her dream engagement ring, which he had purchased the day after he was released from the hospital from Tiffany's. He was, in fact, just waiting for the appropriate moment to ask her _after_ she started college. If he proposed now, her maniac father would probably lock her in her bedroom and he'd have to do something physical to remove Ken from the picture. He didn't want things to become that drastic.

"Be patient and trust me," he said, kissing her again. "It's coming. Besides you have other things to focus on right now."

"Like school." She grimaced.

"No, like your birthday present," he said, pulling a large box from under the seat cushion of the couch and handing it to Serena. "Happy birthday, baby."

Serena squealed and quickly tore through the rather lovely silver wrapping paper that was holding the contents of the box captive.

Inside were two velvet containers stacked on top of each other. Holding the first box up to her face, she opened it wide enough so that she could peek in and when she saw what it was, squealed so loudly that she fell over to the side of the couch and hugged the box to her chest.

"You haven't even fully seen it yet," he said, laughing hard at her reaction.

Quickly she sat up, opened the box fully and shrieked again. Inside was a beautiful locket, the platinum chain glistening perfectly under the moonlight that was pouring into the living room of Darien's penthouse. The face of the heart shaped locket had a rather large diamond of the same shape in its center. Delicately she pried open the interior to find the words, "Eternally yours, Darien," inscribed in delicate cursive letters against the backside of the metal. She immediately threw her arms around his neck and showered his face with kisses.

"I'm so happy!" she yelled and he began to laugh even harder. He reached for the necklace and laced it around her neck. Once it was clasped she looked down and admired it for a while before thanking him continuously and admiring the jewelry. He handed her the other box and once again she opened it to find a stunning diamond tennis bracelet that was so full of precious stones that the pattern of the bracelet left spots of illumination across her face. She was sort of in awe that he got her two wonderful, albeit probably ridiculously expensive gifts. Her mouth was agape.

She touched the necklace and then the bracelet as he put in on her wrist. "I've never owned anything so nice."

"Get used to it," he said honestly. He never quite had anyone to spend his money on and reveled in the opportunity of showering his beloved with well deserved gifts. Just as Serena was about to put the box down, she noticed something shimmering beneath the placement which held the bracelet in its rightful position.

"What's that?" she asked, pulling the platform from the box and watching as a single metallic key dropped onto Darien's lap. She held it up and looked at it for a moment before blushing furiously and smiling thankfully at her boyfriend: it was the key to Darien's home and one of the most thoughtful and kind gestures anyone had ever presented to her. The jewelry was nice, but this small formation of metal meant the most to her.

"You're the best boyfriend ever, you know."

"I know."

She buried her head into the crook of his neck as he kissed her temple. "We should get to bed."

"Why?"

"We have plans in the morning, it is still your birthday after all," he said grabbing her hand and leading her to his bedroom.

Quickly she changed into her pajamas and crawled beneath the covers and watched as Darien mimicked her actions. Gently he pulled her into him and breathed deeply as she settled her head against his bare chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent, drinking in the magnificent aroma that was distinctively him. And as sleep captured both of them, they fell into a content slumber, thoughts of their future together running through their minds.

Here laid the beginnings of a wonderful life.


End file.
